Serpentes et Dracones
by kilakia
Summary: Victoria Potter, the neglected, unknown sister of Harry Potter is sick of being left in the shadows. When she comes to Hogwarts, she meets Draco Malfoy, and they become fast friends in their annoyance with Harry's glorified existence. Please feel free to comment. I love hearing all comments-it helps me improve the next chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Um, hello. Victoria Potter here. I guess you probably don't know very much about me, or anything, I suppose. But, then again, I suppose nobody really does. J.K. Rowling 'forgot' to mention that I exist, which angered me when I first read the books. It doesn't any more, because now I can tell you the story from my perspective.

It all started that fateful night where Voldemort killed my parents. Harry got his lightning scar, became a horcrux, blah blah blah. Meanwhile, I had nobody to save me, and nobody is quite sure how exactly I survived that night. Oh, and did I mention that I was the exact same age as Harry at the time? If you haven't figured it out, I am his twin sister.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic, aren't I? Well, I was found later by a stranger in a black hood (don't worry, it wasn't Voldemort) and given to Professor Dumbledore. I think that Dumbledore saw who it was, but didn't realize exactly who it was until many years later. Dumbledore told me in my fourth year that he had no clue how I was saved, because nothing bad had happened to me that whole night.

As a child, I was often forgotten about. While Harry was given the cupboard under the stairs (a most unfortunate place, indeed), I was given the dusty old attic. It was a surprisingly lovely place to live, and it was perfectly secluded. There was old furniture, winter clothing almost all year round (sometimes the Dursleys did decide to wear those clothes. For the most part, they bought new clothes every winter. Dudley was too big to fit in anything they'd buy him a previous year), and rats to keep me company.

While Harry dealt with and learned not to be afraid of spiders, I learned how sometimes being a predator was the only way you could get food. For those of you who are squeamish, you might not want to read the next part. My only source of food most days was rats. I would catch them, suck out their blood and eat every bit of meat-raw. It was the most disgusting thing ever, but I had to survive, and I learned to. As I said, I was often forgotten.

When Harry and the Dursleys went somewhere, they always forgot about me. I would stay at their house, eat all the delicious food in the pantry and cupboard, and watch television. I would make sure not to take too much food, so they wouldn't be suspicious. My favorite show that I watched was this really old one on BBC, called Doctor Who. It started in the 1960's and they played reruns. I loved the idea of traveling among the stars with The Doctor, and knowing that our world has a savior. My favorite Doctor was probably Peter Davison-he was hilarious and quirky. Now I think Matt Smith and David Tennant are better.

Sorry, I could talk about Doctor Who for hours and hours. I have, actually, multiple times. People get annoyed, but I think that shows that kept you sane (well, sane-ish) during childhood make a big impact on your life. If it weren't for DW, I would have gone crazy. Neglect is not something that helps with sanity at all. That was pretty much my life. (I didn't even go to school-they forgot about me that much. I was pretty dumb as a child.)

People ask me how it was growing up with Harry Potter. The truth is that I barely knew him until we went to Hogwarts. I never saw him more than maybe once a week. He was always kind of sulky. I wanted to tell him to get over himself. He didn't have to eat raw rats to stay alive, and people actually acknowledged that he was there. Granted, they treated him like dirt, but he was still recognized as a living person. I was like a ghost most of the time.

You already know about the letters coming through the door and Hagrid and everything. Instead of there just being Harry, there was my name on the letters, as well. And, the gold haul was twice the size that it was in the book. Joanne forgot to mention that, of course. She couldn't give Harry _that_ much money for himself, so cutting down the amount was a smart idea. I'll give her that, I suppose.

_My _wand wasn't the brother of Voldemort's wand or anything. It was an eleven inch cherry wand with a dragon heartstring core. Olivander noted that it was flexible, which didn't really mean anything to me. I thought it was quite an awesome wand, just to let you know. Of course, I would have been happy with anything-it was a wand! Just getting one was more than amazing.

I was, of course, thrilled with Hedwig. Harry didn't let me name her. (I wanted to name her The TARDIS, but Harry thought it was too weird. I told him that we were wizards! What's _not_ weird about that?) She really liked me, and I secretly called her 'The TARDIS' when Harry wasn't listening. Ultimately, The TARDIS was Harry's owl, though.

I also got an owl of my own. It was super small, nothing special. But it was the most adorable little thing ever, and I named it The Doctor. It was brown and white, and it could fit in the palm of my hand. The TARDIS and The Doctor really liked each other, and The Doctor would often hide in the The TARDIS's feathers. Harry didn't like that, but I thought it was cute.

When, a few days later, we arrived in King's Cross Station, I sort of accidentally figured out before Harry how to get to Platform 9 3/4. I just leaned on the wall between platforms 9 and 10, and fell through. While Harry looked like an idiot, asking where the platform was, I was already right next to the train, feeling completely confused.

Harry came in a couple minutes later with a pack of red heads (like bright ginger red, not dark red like mine) , and I rushed over to him. "What is this place? Is it the platform?" I asked.

"Who are you, dear?" the red head woman, the mother of the pack, asked me.

"She's my sister, Victoria. Everyone calls her Viki, though," Harry said. Oh right, I forgot to mention Harry's nickname for me. He thought that Victoria was too long, so he decided that Viki would be better. I personally prefer my name the way it is, but a nickname's fine, as well.

"Well, hello dear. Are you in the same year as Harry and Ron?" she asked, gesturing towards her youngest son. The whole lot of them were tall and gangly. I nodded yes. "I'm sure your Hogwarts experience will be amazing, dearie! You've got Harry Potter as your brother!"

Of course, I had to have Harry explain to me why he was so important. You, reader, of course know why, so I'm not going to explain it to you. There isn't any point in that. I met Hermione and Ron. Of course, while Hermione had heard of Harry, she hadn't heard of me. For all she knew, I had never existed. Ron and Hermione didn't really seem to care about me; they just wanted to talk about famous Harry Potter.

We got to Hogwarts and went on the boats and blah blah. Everyone was fawning over the famous Harry Potter, where I got pushed and shoved until I ended up next to a boy with white blond hair. "Harry Potter," he scoffed. "Famous just because he lived."

"Tell me about it," I agreed. Everyone was always concerned about him and his famous little neck, and I had been neglected enough my life. I would think that when I got the chance to go to school, I would actually be noticed.

The blond boy seemed pleased that I had agreed with him. "I'm Draco Malfoy. What's your name?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Victoria, but everyone calls me Viki," I said, shaking his hand.

"I don't like the name 'Viki.' You should have something better. How do you like the name Tori? It seems to suit you better," he said.

I shrugged. "I guess I like it. It's better than Viki, that's for sure," I said. I looked over at Harry. "I can't believe that he always gets attention. I mean, come on, ten years is enough. Why can't it be my turn?" I said.

"You know Harry Potter?" Draco Malfoy asked, intrigued.

"Not really, but he's my brother, so…" I shrugged.

"Oh, I thought you were different," Draco said. He then proceeded to ignore me for half an hour.

"I'm nothing like my brother," I protested. "Didn't I just say that I've always been the one who got left in the attic? I didn't even go to school!"

"Really? Well that must have been eleven years of hell," Draco said.

"It was. I actually barely even know Harry, to be honest. All I knew is that he got fed every day and that he went to school," I said.

Draco was silent for a while. "So,even as a young child, he still got this much attention. Weren't you both raised by muggles?" he asked me.

"More like ignored by muggles, at least on my part. They treated Harry like dirt, but at least they acknowledged that he was there," I said. I rolled my eyes at the sight of everyone crowding around my brother. "And now this," I muttered. "Did you know that I had to eat rats just to stay alive?" I said to Draco Malfoy.

He looked quite disgusted but pity was behind the initial shock. "That's awful. I can't say that I can sympathize with you in any way-my family's very wealthy and I've always been treated like the prince I am," he said, joking a little at the end.

"Lucky you," I murmured.

"You know what, Tori? I like you. If we're in the same house, let's be friends. Of course, if you're gryffindor, we'll have to keep it on the low. But, let's always be on each other's side," he said.

"Deal," I said and shook his hand. This was the beginning of a long, complicated relationship with Draco Malfoy. I was a Gryffindor, and he was a Slytherin, which made things complicated. But, we never, ever said anything bad about each other after that. Harry, as you know, became rivals with Draco (partly my fault, I suppose).

Harry tried to make sure I had nothing to do with Draco, which I fought at first. Eventually, though, I decided that I would make it look like I wasn't his friend, but make sure that I never said anything bad about him. Whenever I had the ability to sneak away from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, I would go and talk to Draco if he was alone.

Draco was a faithful friend to me, never going along with the jokes that were made about me, and always apologizing to me if his friends ever said anything bad about me. He and I made a pact that first day we knew each other, and we stuck with it our entire lives. I'm not talking about just during my seven years at Hogwarts. I mean that even through the war and everything, even after we graduated Hogwarts, we made sure to be friends.

People told me from the day that I arrived at Hogwarts that I looked just like my mom, but had my father's eyes. I have the dark red hair, the same facial features, I suppose. I really didn't know, considering I hadn't met my mother. My eyes are a hazel color, just like my father, apparently.

I apologize, but I'm going to skip ahead two years. Nothing really important (besides what I've told you) happened to me. You already know what happened to Harry-more glory to my brother, more neglect to me-the usual.

Advanced potions was my favorite class of the day, and one that nobody knew I was taking. I had dropped out of the regular class and started taking Advanced. Everyone thought that I was taking remedial potions instead. The only reason they thought that is because of something that happened in my first year.

_The first day of potions was basically Professor Snape explaining what would be happening in that year and beyond. He also explained the things he would be expecting of us, and the consequences for anything below. Nothing really happened. But then the second day came, and all hell broke loose._

_The instructions for making the daily brew was on the board in the front of the classroom. I could see the words perfectly fine, but they looked like squiggles to me. I kept asking Hermione if she could read the instructions to me, and made the excuse that I couldn't see the words-that I was as blind as a bat. She told that it was in my book, and that I could read from that._

_So, I took out my book and looked at the words. I squinted really hard, trying to make out at least one word, but I couldn't. Eventually, Professor Snape noticed that I wasn't making anything. "Potter," he said. "You are supposed to be following instructions. What, do you think that since your brother is the great Harry Potter that you don't have to do anything?" _

_"No!" I exclaimed. "That isn't it at all!" _

_"Then what is it?" Snape asked, clearly angry. I looked down at the table. "You're just lazy?" he asked. I shook my head. "Then what is it, Miss Potter?" he asked. _

_I didn't want to say it-I couldn't without making a complete idiot of myself. "I can't read," I mumbled._

_"Speak up," Snape commanded. _

_"I can't read!" I nearly shouted. Everyone burst out laughing. I felt like the world's biggest idiot in the world. I looked over at Harry, but he was laughing along with them. I looked over at Hermione, who was also laughing. I looked over at Draco, who gave me a look that said 'it's gonna be ok, Tori.'_

_"Silence!" Professor Snape shouted to everyone. "Granger, you will read Miss Potter the instructions for today," he said to Hermione. Hermione did, for the whole class, but was obviously very irritated by it. People kept staring at me during class, giving me glances that made me feel uncomfortable. _

_After class, I couldn't wait to leave. But, I didn't get out of my seat until almost everyone had left. Then, I got up and walked past Draco. "Are you ok, Tori?" he asked me. _

_"It was so humiliating. What kind of idiot doesn't know how to read at age eleven?" I asked him, half whispering. _

_"Victoria, I need you to stay after class," Snape said. _

_Draco gestured towards the door. "Do you want me to wait for you?" he asked. I nodded and gave him a silent thank you before he left. _

_Snape gestured for me to sit down, and I did. "So, you can't read," he said, pacing the front area. "That is going to cause you many problems if we don't fix it soon," he mused. _

_"I've never gone to school before. I was forgotten about my whole life," I explained, trying to explain that I wasn't stupid. _

_"Here's what I propose. You'll drop out of regular potions, and I'll help you read we'll work at a pace that suits your needs," Snape said. _

_"I don't want to be treated like some sort of idiot," I protested._

_"I know, but you lack a basic skill that everyone at your age possesses. If you ever want to go back to regular potions, I'll be more than happy to let you. But you need to be able to read first," Snape said._

_I nodded. "Ok. I understand. Thank you, Professor, for helping me," I said and got up to leave. _

_Draco was waiting for me outside the door, just like he promised he would. "What did Snape want to talk to you about?" he asked me. _

_"I'm dropping out of regular potions class," I explained. "Just because I can't read," I murmured, and rolled my eyes in annoyance. _

_"Well, did he say that you were going to be working at a slower pace, or at your pace?" Draco asked. I told him that it was the second. "Well, then you may just work at a faster pace than anyone else once you can read. Everything'll be ok, Tori. I promise," he said. He gave me a big, bear hug, which made me feel so much better. _


	2. Chapter 2

After advanced potions, I went back to the common room. The password that day was jingle bells, because it was so close to christmas. I couldn't wait until Christmas-it was one of the few times that I could talk to Draco without having to be in fear. Everyone was busy either eating or throwing snowballs at their friends. Even Harry wouldn't notice if I sat down with Draco and played a game of Wizard Chess.

Draco was the only one who knew that I was taking advanced potions. He didn't see why I didn't tell everyone, but I had perfectly good reason. The more attention I drew to myself, the more people would be watching me. The more people that were watching me, the less time I would be able to see Draco. When I told Draco my reasons, he got all mock embarrassed. I hit him.

"How was remedial potions?" Hermione asked, stifling a laugh. I was used to her trying not to be all full of herself in front of me, when she really thought I was an idiot. Too bad the idiot was her. Maniacal laugh-hehehehehehe.

"It was fine, I suppose. Nothing interesting," I said, setting my army green messenger bag down on a sofa chair and sitting down next to it. I didn't have any homework over winter break (I wasn't supposed to have classes, but Severus said it would be a good idea if I did. Yes, I am on first name terms with Professor Snape. Don't tell anyone)

"How's Malfoy?" she asked me. Trying to catch me off guard was not the smartest idea. I was always looking out for everything. I knew she suspected that I was still friends with Draco, but I wasn't going to let her get a confession out of me.

"How should I know?" I asked. It was a question that anyone could ask. I could give plenty of reasons why I should know. I did talk to him just before potions, after all.

"I'm going to go get dinner. You can go hang out with your precious Draco, if you want. I don't judge," she said and got up, but lingered. I didn't give her a response, which she was clearly expecting from me. She left in a huff, angry at me for no real reason. I warmed up by the fire for a few minutes and then went back out to the corridor.

Draco was walking with his friends to dinner, and I passed right by him and clicked my fingers three times-that was our signal. He clicked his fingers twice to signal back. I walked slowly and waited for him to come back. Three clicks meant 'Want to hang out?' Two clicks meant 'Sure, I'll be right there,' and one click meant 'Sorry, I can't. Maybe later, ok?'

Draco came up to me and asked, "How was potions?" He was the one person that knew I wasn't taking remedial, but advanced, potions.

"Nothing special, I suppose. Next week, though, Professor promised that he would let me try to make one of the potions from one of the books in the restricted section. I can't use it, of course, but it'll be fun to see how it turns out," I said, getting super excited over something most people considered dull.

Draco liked it when I got like this. He claimed that my happiness was something rare and beautiful. When he said things like that, I had a hard time not blushing. "I'm sure it'll be brilliant," he said, smiling. I returned the smile, but didn't say anything. "Do you wanna play chess?" he asked.

I groaned mockingly. "You always win, though," I half complained. I made sure I smiled so Draco would know that I was joking for the most part.

"Why do you think I like it so much?" he said, half joking. We went to an area that had chairs and tables, and chess boards. Since it was dinner, the place was completely deserted.

We were playing for a while, when Draco asked me the question that I found rather strange at the time. "Want to go on a date?"

"Draco, we're friends," I said, without giving it any thought at all.

"Haven't you ever thought that we could be more?" he asked. I gave him the same answer. "You aren't giving this any thought at all," he complained.

"Well, it's weird for me. You're practically my only friend. Everyone else I know only hangs out with me because I'm Harry's sister," I said, shrugging. I still wasn't giving it much thought-I was staying above the surface.

"Just, please give it more thought than that," he pleaded. "If I know that you gave it some actual thought and still said no, I'll understand," he said.

It was weird, but I tried thinking about it, tried to scratch at the surface. "Draco, you're really hot, there's no doubt about that. But we're still friends. What if we went out and something happened? I don't want to lose my best friend," I said.

"I promise, you aren't going to lose me. And, wouldn't you always hate yourself if you missed out on something that might have been amazing just because you were too scared to try?" he asked.

"It's a lot more complicated than that," I said, frustrated. "You're my only friend, practically. You've got plenty of friends, so losing one won't affect you at all. I'll be completely alone," I said, close to tears.

"Listen," Draco said, reaching over and grabbing my hand, "you couldn't get rid of me even if you tried. You're my best friend, and I'm not going to let anything happen to that." He kept his word, but I still didn't think he would.

"You can't promise that," I said, wiping a tear out of my eye.

"Look, Tori Potter is crying over me. The girl who survived, despite having all the odds stacked against her. The girl who was able to master potions when she couldn't even read," he said. His voice was a little mocking, but the look on his face was genuine concern and happiness.

"Fine, I'll go out with you," I said. I muttered to myself, 'you're practically twisting my arm,' which he heard, but smiled at. "But the second anything bad happens-I'm out," I warned him.

"Deal," he said and held out his hand, which I shook.

Three days later, the day after christmas, was our first date. When you're only 13, a date isn't much different than hanging out. The only difference was the air, and I had to borrow makeup from Ginny (always trying to impress Harry).

Draco and I were going somewhere that nobody would ever think to look-the shrieking shack. We weren't supposed to go there, but I had discovered the passage during second year, right after I had realized that I was an animagus. Sorry, I forgot to mention that. I'll probably have a flashback with that soon.

Anyway, if you're wondering which animal I turn into, it's snake. It's kind of strange, considering I'm not Slytherin, but Draco thinks it really models who I am. He said that I'm someone with hidden power (of course, he didn't say that until fifth year, but still) and that I have a deadly beauty. I'm a black and gold cobra, with dark red eyes.

Getting back to the story, I pressed the knot on the Weeping Willow, and we went through the tunnel to the shrieking shack. Draco was kind of scared, because of all of the stories about it. I told him to stop being such a baby and to have fun with me. The Shrieking Shack was fine, just as I thought.

The furniture in the shack was old and grey, and cold wind blew in from the empty window frames. A thin layer of snow covered everything. "It's beautiful," I murmured.

"You have a messed up idea on beauty," Draco said, although I don't think he meant to say that aloud. I think it just kind of came out of his mouth.

"Come on, look at it," I urged him. He did, and shrugged, still confused on how I thought the way I did. "I know, it's kind of eerie, and grey, but it's just amazingly beautiful if you look beyond that."

Draco walked around a little, mussing up the snow. "I suppose in some crazy sense of the word, it's beautiful." He shivered a little, "Aren't you cold at all?" he asked.

"Not even a little," I said, clearing some snow off the ground and sitting down. I cleared away some snow next to me and patted the ground. "Sit," I said.

Draco sat down next to me. We stared at the nearly empty streets of Hogsmeade for quite some time. I didn't notice Draco looking at me until he said, "You didn't need to put makeup on for me."

"This is a date, isn't it? Aren't girls supposed to get all dolled up and then blush when the boy says pretty much anything?" I asked him.

Draco laughed, and I smiled. "You're taking this a lot more seriously than I thought you would. I thought you'd show up, forget it was a date, and tell me to shut up a bunch of times," he said, laughing a little. I didn't respond. "But, seriously, Tori, don't wear makeup next time. You look like a four year old painted your face," he said.

I snorted, then burst out laughing. "Yeah, that's what every girl wants to hear. You are one heck of a charmer, Draco Malfoy."

"This is how I like you. Don't try so hard next time to impress me, ok? It doesn't suit you. You've got nothing to worry about-I already know how amazing you are," he said.

I'm pretty sure my face turned bright red. "You see, that's the kind of thing that makes girls blush. You really are quite the charmer, Draco," I said.

"Oh, stop," he said playfully. "Now you're going to make _me_ blush. But, I actually did bring you something," he said. He reached into his navy blue messenger bag and pulled out a magnificent bouquet of black gold lilies. I don't know if you've ever seen black gold lilies, but they're purplish black with gold at the end of each petal. It's the most beautiful thing in the world, in my opinion.

"So, I'm not allowed to wear makeup or even try to act like I'm on a date, but you can bring me a beautiful bouquet of my favorite flower?" I said, taking the flowers, and inhaling their sweet scent.

"Guys are supposed to bring girls flowers," he said. "And, I know it's your favorite, so I had to bring some. The look on your face is pure joy whenever I give you something that you love, and that look is priceless."

A big, fat, tear came out of my eye, and landed on the snow in front of me. It froze almost instantly. "Who knew? I'm an emotional wreck of a girl," I said, wiping more tears out of my eyes before they hit the ground.

"I like this side of you. You seem more human," he said.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I asked, no tears in my voice at all. I was dead serious. "Stop saying those things," I said.

Draco just laughed. "You're really something, Tori," he said.

"Of course, you already knew that," I said, laughing a little. For the rest of the day, we looked at the street and laughed at the walkers-by, mocking them. We would say what we thought they were thinking, and make howling noises-to keep up the rumor that the shack was haunted. We didn't want people to come in.

Throughout the next month and a half, we continued to go to that little shack in the middle of Hogsmeade. Every single time, Draco would bring me a bouquet of black gold lilies, and I never wore makeup again, except for a ring of black eyeliner around my golden hazel eyes. We had so much fun, laughing, talking, making fun of each other. I know, it doesn't sound like the typical date time thing, but it worked for us.

Being friends before dating made us skip all of the awkwardness that comes with the first few dates. Dating somehow made our friendship stronger, instead of breaking it apart. He and I had so much fun, and the whole romantic part was really fun, to be honest. My best friend and my boyfriend were both things that I kept in secret, and they were the same amazing, wonderful person. I didn't care what Harry and everyone else thought about him-I knew who he really was.

People thought I was the stupid, shy sibling of Harry Potter, and that I had no other title. Of course, they were so incredibly wrong. Nobody knew that I was an animagus- not even Harry or Ron or Hermione. There were three people who knew who in the whole world-Dumbledore, Snape, and Draco who I really was. Nobody knew that I took advanced potions except those three, and nobody else knew that I was actually a very outgoing person.

"I have to keep myself hidden from everyone. While I may not be shy, I don't have the capability to trust other people. When people find out who I actually am, it's usually because I trust them enough to show them. You can say I'm paranoid, or you can say that I'm very selective, and that the few people that I do select mean the world to me.

But, it isn't the only reason why I choose to keep myself hidden. People don't expect a girl who's been cooped up for eleven years to be social. They don't expect that someone who can barely read is actually a genius. They don't expect that someone who's so hidden to possess an extraordinary power. Animagi these days are such a rarity, and I can speak parsel tongue because of my power-because my form is a snake," I told Draco.

"I'm just glad you chose to show your real self to me, right from the beginning," he said after careful thinking.

"Well, that was only because I was irritated that my brother was being treated like a prince, and I was shunted to the corner, yet again," I said, but smiled so he would know that I was half joking.

"Either way, I'm glad you showed yourself to me, as you put it. If you weren't pushed to the back, where I was, we probably wouldn't have become friends," he said.

"Well, we're a little bit more than just friends, don't you think?" I asked him, getting a little bit closer to him.

"Absolutely," he said, and kissed me. All I can say is that it was wonderful, not awkward, or strange, or anything. It sealed the fact that we were together, and it was one of the happiest days of my life.

"So, Valentine's Day. Where's my big box of chocolates?" I asked, jokingly, him when he pulled away.

Draco smiled. "You don't even like chocolate," he said. I smiled-he knew way too much about me. Most boys would bring their girl chocolate on Valentine's day, regardless of whether or not they liked it. "But, don't fret, I'm not cheap," he said and pulled something out of his cloak. It was a red velvet box, about 4 centimeters by 2 centimeters. He handed it to me, and I opened it. It was a gorgeous pair of stud earrings-one was a golden black cobra with dark red eyes curled up and ready to strike, the other an emerald green dragon in mid flight position.

"You didn't have to buy me anything, Draco. I didn't get anything for you," I said, holding the box in amazement.

"You didn't have to. I only did because I love seeing the look on your face whenever you open one of my little packages," he said, smiling. "Besides, I have more money than I know what to do with, so it means nothing."

"Thank you. I'm guessing the cobra is because of me, and the dragon is because of… your name. It means dragon, doesn't it?" I asked him. Draco nodded. "Thought so. Now I have something that represents the both of us," I said, and put the earrings in.

I looked out into the streets of Hogsmeade. It was covered in thick snow, and people were rushing down the streets, usually in pairs of a boy and a girl. Many people headed into shops, such as Honeyduke's trying to keep out of the cold. It was a shame that Draco and I couldn't be one of those couples, heading into warm coffee shops and candy stores. But, there was some sort of thrill in keeping it a secret. And, the cold never bothered me, anyway.

"Why don't we make a deal, Tori?" Draco suggested. I told him that I was listening. "If we're still together next year, on Christmas Eve, we'll let people know about it," he said.

Of course, you know what special event happens next Christmas Eve, and it's importance. I'm almost one hundred percent sure Draco knew, too. "Deal," I said, shaking his hand.

Hermione's suspicion of my continuing friendship with Draco keeps growing stronger. The second I got back from my date, she eyed me over. "What were you doing?" she asked me.

"I was reading. I found this beautiful spot near the Quidditch field that's just plain beautiful," I said, thanking the world that I could think quickly.

"In the snow?" she asked me, suspicion creeping up on her face.

She was concerned about the snow? Not, Viki, you can barely read. The snow is what she wanted to know about. "The cold doesn't bother me. There's a reason why hot showers exist," I said.

Hermione didn't quite buy it. "So you were sitting, in the cold and snow, by yourself, on Valentine's Day, reading?" she asked.

"Yes. It was a really good book. Star-crossed lovers, very romantic. It was my way of celebrating Valentine's Day," I explained.

"What was the book?" she asked me.

"Twilight," I choked. I would _never_, ever read that book even if someone said that I had to eat a rat if I didn't.

"What's it about?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

Luckily, I happened to read the back cover, and I heard some girls talking about it before. "Um, a mortal girl who falls in love with a vampire. Oh, and I am so Team Jacob. He's so hot!" I said, making myself sound like such a complete idiot, but like the kind of girl who would actually read that book.

Apparently, I finally passed Hermione's test. "Can I go take a shower? I'm cold," I said. Hermione let me pass, but not without a look at my new earrings. She didn't say anything, but I'm sure she noticed them.

I told Draco on our next date how I had to pretend I read Twilight. He laughed, of course. "That must have been really hard for you to say," he said.

"It was. If I ever decided to read that book, I might as well have decided to shoot my foot with basilisk venom," I said. Draco looked at me with an appalled look. "Relax, I'm immune to it," I explained, half laughing.

"Let me guess, you found that out last year in the chamber of secrets," he said. I nodded and smiled.

_I came with Harry and Ron and Professor Lockhart into the Chamber of Secrets. I was the one who figured out the entrance, after all. (Of course, nobody ever gives me credit) After Ron's wand backfired, the cavern did collapse. I was trapped behind some rocks, just like Ron. Luckily, I found a small opening right next to my feet. I morphed and slithered through. _

_"Viki, how did you get through? Weren't you trapped?" Harry asked. _

_I shrugged. "I found enough room to get through. I'm not exactly a big person," I said. Harry didn't really seem to care enough to listen beyond 'I found enough room.'_

_We were trapped at the entrance, the door with the snakes circling around the middle. "How do you suppose we get through?" he asked. I mumbled a few words in parsel tongue, and the door opened. "What did you say?" Harry asked. _

_"Open sesame," I said, dead serious. _

_"Brilliant," he murmured as he walked through, wand out in front of him like a sword. He reminded me of The Doctor this way-how he held out his sonic screwdriver in front of him, as if it would help if something came up from behind and attacked him. I kept mine tucked away in my cloak so I could use it if something came out of the shadows. _

_Tom Riddle standing next to Ginny's seemingly dead body wasn't a frightening sight for me, as you would think it would be. Instead, it made me feel like I was in an episode of Doctor Who. I was the companion, and Harry was The Doctor. Ginny was the innocent girl who got hurt because of Harry's mistakes or the villain's heartless nature. In this case, it was the heartless nature of the villain._

_"Harry Potter, I've been longing so badly to see you," Riddle crooned, beckoning us both towards him. "Oh, and you've brought your little sister, Victoria, with you," he said, noticing me. _

_I didn't know what to think, so I followed Harry. "What do you want from Ginny?" Harry asked TMR. _

_"He doesn't specifically want Ginny, Harry. She's just the unfortunate recipient of his attention, just like Professor Quirrel," I murmured. _

_"Well, aren't you just taking the fun out of everything, Victoria!" TMR exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air like a child throwing a tantrum. _

_"You said something?" Harry asked me, turning around. I wanted to strangle him for not listening to a single word I ever said, but instead rolled my eyes. _

_"Pay attention to your sister, Harry. You might be surprised what you find out about her. In fact," TMR said, turning his attention on me, "I believe there is a certain situation with you and the one with the name that means dragon." _

_I didn't say anything. "Well, that's a story for another time, isn't it, Tori?" he asked, using the nickname he shouldn't have known. He laughed and walked around us. "I'm most pleased to meet you, Victoria. You aren't a person people know much about. Tell me, is it true that you couldn't read until you were eleven years old?" TMR asked. _

_I stayed quiet, refusing to answer anything. "Of course, I'm lying about the fact that I'm happy to see you. You won't be much of a game for me. But Harry, I look forward to seeing how you will deal with the basilisk," TMR said and called out something in parsel tongue, so low that Harry and I couldn't decipher what he was saying. _

_Harry tried to control the snake, using parsel tongue, but it was no use. The snake came charging at Harry, who made sure to never look directly at its eyes. I couldn't move, and the snake came right past me, not giving a single care about me. "_Don't _go charging after your brother. This isn't your battle to fight, Victoria. You try and take care of Ginny," TMR said. _

_I didn't care, I ran after Harry. "_Crucio!_" TMR said, and a blast of pain hit my shoulder and erupted throughout my whole nervous system. That was my first taste of the cruciatus curse. "I told you, stupid girl, to stay here," he hissed. The screaming pain went on for what felt like forever, but was less than a minute. Harry heard me screaming, but didn't care. He had his own battle to face. _

_I crawled over to Ginny and took a look at how she was doing. I knew she wouldn't survive any longer than five minutes. I didn't know what to do-I felt so helpless. She wasn't bleeding, and seemed to have no injuries at all. It was as if someone was draining the life out of her. And, I had a good idea who it was. I found the diary laying on the floor next to her and put it in my cloak for safe keeping. _

_Harry came back with the basilisk, whose eyes were completely gone. Pecked out, it looked like. Then I saw a phoenix-Fawkes, I guessed, soar in behind them with a hat-the sorting hat. It dropped right in front of me, and I pulled out the sword of gryffindor. Gasp, I know. Harry wasn't the one who actually pulled that sword out of the hat-it was me. I threw it to him, and he stabbed the basilisk with it. _

_When Harry stabbed the diary, some of the basilisk venom hit me in the arm. It stung a little, but nothing happened after that. I never mentioned that to anyone except Draco, and I made him promise that he wouldn't tell anyone. Even to this day, I don't know how the basilisk venom didn't kill me. _


	3. Chapter 3

Hearing that I would be going to the Quidditch World Cup with Ron, Hermione, and Harry, didn't sound too appealing. That is, until I found that Draco was going, too. I'd been mailing with him back and forth over the majority of the summer, using our special code that was basically just pig latin mixed with a little gibberish.

I couldn't wait to go, not because of the fact I would be seeing one of the most amazing Quidditch matches of the year, but because I would see my boyfriend. Even if we couldn't kiss or hold hands or anything, we would still get to see each other. Seeing Draco's face just made me happier. Talking to him would make me blush on the inside and fill the void I always got whenever I was at the Dursley's house.

"Excited for the Quidditch final?" Harry asked, coming into my attic. This was seriously only the third time in my whole childhood that he came to see me.

"Hey, stranger. How's life?" I asked him, giving him a grin. Harry laughed and repeated his question. "I'm excited, yeah. I feel like I haven't seen Hermione in ages," I said.

Harry sat down on my couch. "Hopefully she doesn't make fun of you this time. I feel like every time she sees you, she has to make a remark about you taking remedial potions instead of regular," he said. At least I wasn't the only one besides Draco who noticed that.

"It's ok, I know I'm dumb," I said and smiled, but it was weak. Harry didn't notice, which was good for me.

"You aren't dumb. It's not your fault you had a major set back in education-blame Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. You could probably go back to regular class if you wanted to," Harry said.

"Sever-uh, Snape, said that I could go back many times. But, I like taking the class I'm in. I get to work at my own pace, and I always get help when I need it," I said, every word of it true.

I hoped that he didn't catch the fact that I almost called Snape Severus, but it was one of the few times he was actually paying attention to me. "Did you almost just refer to Snape as Severus? You guys are on first name terms?" he asked.

I don't know if you guys know much about Britain, but being on a first name basis with someone is a huge deal. I personally don't see why-it's just a name. But, England's kind of fucked up like that-what can I say? "No. I just hear other professors calling him that, and it's sort of stuck in my head," I said, although I knew Harry wouldn't be so stupid as to believe that.

Fortunately, he let it drop. "I hope this year, we can have some peace," he said, which really surprised me.

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Well, the last three years haven't exactly been peaceful. Voldemort tried to kill me-twice, and then there was that whole thing with Sirius last year. I just hope that this year, there isn't so much commotion," he explained.

I rolled my eyes. "But you like all the attention you get out of it, don't deny it." Harry looked flustered by my accusation. "Don't even try to deny it. You're famous Harry Potter, and saving the day-yet again-makes you feel like you're a prince of some sort," I said.

Harry looked as though he was going to try to deny my accusation, but, in the end, he admitted to it. "Ok, you're right. But, I still want peace this year. No more me saving the day-yet again."

"Who's going to if you don't?" I asked him.

I had stumped him. He actually had to think for a while on what he was going to say. "Let's just hope nobody has to," he said. I stared at him solemnly, and didn't say anything. "So, Quidditch-who do you want to win?" he asked me when the silence became too unbearable for him.

I shrugged. "I don't know. It's Bulgaria versus Ireland, right?" Harry nodded. "I know very little about Quidditch, so I guess it really doesn't matter to me," I said.

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose so. Still, I hear it's going to be amazing. You'll have fun, I'm sure," he said.

"Oh, yes. I'm positive I will," I said, with complete confidence. But, it wasn't because of the game or anything that Harry would think. You, dear reader, know exactly why I was positive of this fact.

He smiled. "So how do you think the Weasleys will get here? Flying car this time?" Harry asked.

"My guess-they'll try floo powder and then they'll realize our fireplace is electric and it'll be hilarious-trust me," I said.

"If you're right, I'll give you five galleons," Harry said.

Of course, I was right. I knew this because Ron mailed us saying that they would be going by Floo powder. I didn't show the letter to Harry, and I didn't bother to tell Ron that our fireplace was electric. It was the most hilarious thing ever, just as I predicted.

You should have seen the look on Aunt Petunia's and Uncle Vernon's face. I swear, they looked like they saw a ghost. Nope, just red headed wizards coming down your fireplace. That's all. "Hello, Harry, Victoria! How are you doing?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"All ready to go?" Fred and George asked.

"Our trunks are upstairs. Viki's is in the attic," Harry said.

"We'll get them," Fred and George said at the same exact time. They knew where our stuff was and went up the stairs.

I'm not going to go into the details on what happened before we left. But, Dudley ate some pretty hilarious toffee that made his tongue grow to six feet long. Fred and George invented it, of course. Dudders just couldn't resist the stuff-he's been dieting for a long time and it's been killing him.

Of course, it means they actually remembered to feed me, so I'm happy. They didn't want me sneaking any extra food, so they made sure that I ate with them. Hey, if you don't want me sneaking any extra bloody rats, I'm willing to cooperate. But I'm blaming you for making me skip out on those rare, juicy, rats. Just remember that. O_o

For the first time in forever, Hermione didn't mention the fact I was taking remedial potions (or so she thought) when she saw me. Instead, she was actually happy to see me. Strangeness was all around me… Of course, I am a witch, so strangeness is something I am quite accustomed to.

The next few days were a blur, all leading up to the Quidditch World Cup. I was filled with jitters-I hadn't seen Draco since the end of school. The morning we left, I made sure to put on the earrings that Draco bought me for Valentine's Day, just several months earlier. I wore them almost all the time, so it was nearly simple instinct to put them in my ears.

I didn't even bother to fix my hair or put on much makeup. Draco made it very clear that, while he appreciated the thought, that I shouldn't do much of anything to try to impress him. He claimed that he wanted me the way I was, no masquerade added. All I did was put on a ring of eyeliner, like I always did, and put my hair in a high ponytail. The high ponytail was because of the long hike that we were about to face. Also, I looked badass like that. It gave me a sporty quality that I normally didn't possess.

Hermione and I had to wake up the boys, who had a hard time waking up earlier than noon during the summer. I'd always been an early riser, so I had no trouble waking up at 4 AM. I will admit, I was a little sleepy, but I was otherwise fine. Breakfast that morning was good-poached eggs on toast with bacon. I ate a lot more than I should have, but I was hungry. Eating rats and the minuscule portions of fruit and vegetable the Dursleys call food and rats for survival wasn't exactly filling.

We met up with Cedric Diggory and his father, Amos, at a hill. Hermione and Ginny were both staring at him, making googley eyes. Cedric may have been handsome, but he wasn't _that_ handsome. His skin was really pale, too, like a vampire. How were they sure that he wasn't a vampire? I guess the reason is because he sort of sparkled in the sunlight. Vampires don't sparkle in the sunlight, they burn. Anyone who says differently is an idiot, or they're from Twilight. So, yeah, basically all idiots.

And, even if I thought Cedric was someone to be considered 'dating material,' I had a man who was a thousand times better looking all to myself. And, in just a few hours, I would get to see him. At that point, I remember just thinking about Draco and getting so excited. Every time his face popped up in my mind, I just had to smile. It's a love that can only be described as true.

Anyway, enough with that gushy mushy stuff. We hitched a ride on a magical port key. It was a strange experience, I'll admit. You know those spinning rides at the fair that you love, but have a hard time keeping from throwing up after? Yeah, that's what a portkey ride felt like. Fun, but incredibly hard to keep down.

Of course, the meeting with the muggle at the fairground was a pleasure. I felt kind of sorry for him-I think he ended up going crazy after. Actually, I think he died. The point is that he was messed up after the unfortunate encounter with hundreds of wizards.

I felt like I was stepping into the TARDIS when I went inside my tent. It was small on the outside, but humungous on the inside. Of course, there wasn't a whole world or anything, but it was still fantastic. Hermione, Ginny, and I were all sharing a tent, considering we were the only girls. Ginny was ecstatic about it, Hermione excited, and I was indifferent. It would be for only a couple days, and we shared dorms at Hogwarts, so I didn't see the big deal. I mean, there were only a few days in the year that we didn't live in the same room.

We basically just put away our stuff and bought souvenirs before the Quidditch WC happened. I bought some really cool goggle things that allowed me to replay different parts of the game. Everyone else bought a pair, as well. People bought ridiculous things that had to do with the team, but I saw that as pointless. We couldn't use those things ever again, so what was the point?

When we got to our seats, Draco and his parents came right in after us. Draco and I offered to sit next to each other, making the excuse that we didn't want anyone else to affiliate with the other. It took a little bit of insistence, but we were eventually sitting next to each other. Harry and Hermione were very suspicious. Thankfully, Ginny was able to back me up. She said something about us being friends before, and that we could actually tolerate each other.

I talked to Draco, but not so much as it would cause suspicion. "Lovely earrings, Potter. Where'd you get them?" he asked me.

I found that to be a rather strange question, considering he bought them for me. Then, I realized that he was testing me. "They were a gift," I said.

"Who from?" he asked me.

I rolled my eyes. "This guy who's been trying to get my attention for almost four years. Kind of annoying, if you ask me," I said, giving my famous half smile.

Draco returned my slight smile. "Has he been successful? You know, in getting your attention?" he asked.

I had to think a while on how to answer. "He's been more successful than most," I said, giving a completely honest answer that could be interpreted a number of ways.

Then, the Quidditch match started. It was rather extraordinary, I'll admit. Those players were in such sync with each other, you could have sworn that they could read each others minds. And on the team for Bulgaria, they had an amazing seeker. I think he was only like nineteen or something. I had to ask Draco what was going on half of the time, and he was more than happy to tell me. Hermione, who was on my other side, had no clue what was going on, either, so she listened in. I think part of it was because she was suspicious, but she needed to know just as much as I did.

Ireland won, but that Bulgarian seeker caught the snitch. Apparently that scores the team a huge amount of points, and the game can't end until the snitch is caught. The specifics were too confusing for me. Anyway, the Irish were happy, and they were partying the whole night.

During all the partying and loudness, I was able to find some time with Draco. He sneaked away from his parents, who were too buy schmoozing with Barty Crouch or something, and I sneaked away from Hermione and Ginny. I told them that I wanted to go party with some people I met at the game, and they let me. I think they secretly wanted to go see what the boys were doing.

Of course, they got suspicious when I fixed my makeup and hair before I left. I told them that, if I'm going to a party,

It honestly wasn't too hard to find Draco-we thought the same way and ended up in the same, concealed spot of the campground. "How did I know you'd be here?" Draco asked when he saw me.

I smiled, not hiding or holding it back at all. It was my full, bright, smile, that was specifically reserved for Draco. "We think the exact same way, don't we?" I asked him, having such a hard time holding back on how happy I was.

"How did you know that I would be able to sneak away?" he asked.

"How did you know that I would?" I asked him. I ran up to him and hugged him. Then, of course, I kissed him.

"I missed you so much. Seeing you at the game wasn't enough," Draco said, pulling me in closer to him.

"I can't wait until December 24th," I said, reminding him of the agreement we made on Valentine's Day.

"Why do we have to wait so long? We should go to school, starting off, showing people we're together," Draco suggested.

"I really want to, really. But, I think it would cause too much pain for people if we didn't really know that we would last, that we would be together for a long time after we tell people," I said, walking a little bit away from him, but holding his hand behind me.

"Do you really have such little faith that we won't last?" Draco asked, hurt in his eyes and voice. Gosh, his face made me want to cry.

"People might be a little more accepting if we've given them a year's worth of proof that we love each other," I said, shrugging a little.

Draco looked at me, a funny look on his face. "You just said that you love me," he pointed out, putting the argument on pause.

Instead of freaking out, like most girls would, I shrugged. "I do. Is that a problem?" I asked him. If he didn't say the right thing after, I would have been so humiliated.

Luckily, Draco never fails me. "Not at all. I love you, too. And, I understand why you want to wait. As much as you hate your brother and quote 'friends,' you don't want to see them hurt, even if that means waiting a little bit longer for something."

"Thank you for understanding. I really do love you, Draco. You're something quite special, you know," I said, smiling.

"I love you, too, Tori. I've never met someone quite as amazing as you," he said. I kissed him, and only stopped because of the flash of light.

Muggles were floating in the air, all in a green light. Draco grabbed my hand without thinking and pulled me along, running. I saw a march of people wearing pointy hoods and skeleton masks with their wands, making the non magic folk float in the air. "What are those people?" I asked, gesturing towards the skeleton mask people.

"Death Eaters," Draco murmured and continued to lead me away from the crowd, still running. I was freaking out on the inside, but trusted Draco enough to let him lead me. I couldn't let anyone see I was freaking out, because it would make me seem weak. Even around Draco, I had to make sure that that side was hidden.

I saw a flash of green light behind me and turned to look. I could almost make out a face-and it looked a lot like someone I saw before. But, I couldn't tell who it was-the face was so lightly sketched into my mind. But it was familiar at the same time, ugh, it made me so angry not knowing when it was right on the tip of my tongue.

Then, I saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron. They were all standing together, so I had to say goodbye to Draco. "I'll see you at school in a couple days," I said and ran over to them.

"Viki! Where the bloody hell have you been?" Harry asked, panic so clear in his voice. He hugged me for probably the first time in my life. "I was so worried that something had happened to you."

"I'm fine, Harry, really," I said, more than surprised that Harry was actually concerned about me for once in our lives.

"Where were you?" Hermione asked, no suspicion in her voice, but I knew she was thinking something. She's Hermione, for crying out loud.

"It doesn't matter," I said, shrugging it off. "I'm so glad that we're all together, none of us harmed."

Then, a bunch of officials came up and shot spells at us. "Stop!" Mr. Weasley cried, and saved us from being killed by a bunch of green lights.

They asked us if we'd seen the man who put the Dark Mark in the air, and that is when I remembered. "Oh! He looked like David Tennant!" I said. Everybody stared at me like I was crazy, which I probably was. "Tenth incarnation of The Doctor? Doctor Who? Famous muggle television show? Been going on for almost fifty years?" People were still looking at me like I was crazy. "Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes, and walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days went by in a blur. Mrs. Weasley was frantic, and she couldn't believe we were all still alive. She worried about us so much, it was the point to overbearing. Harry and I weren't used to a smothering mother figure, or a mother figure at all, for that matter. Harry was used to some sort of attention, but I basically went crazy during my childhood from the lack of attention I had. It was really a strange feeling, having someone always worrying about me.

The trip to the train station was standard, and not at all interesting. We left the burrow at a fairly early time and arrived at King's Cross about twenty minutes before the train left. We boarded the train with five minutes to spare, found our compartment, and the train took off. Nothing exciting.

When Draco and his friends passed by our compartment, I never felt such a sense of longing. It killed me, seeing him so happy, while I was here, with my friends, talking about something that I really didn't care about. He gave me a quick smile, that I would have missed had I not been looking for it. I returned the smile, and he turned away before anyone could notice the little gesture.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all talking about the quidditch world cup, and all the happenings. "So, David Tennant? Who's he?" Hermione asked. I was staring at empty space and didn't realize that the question was intended for me. "Viki? Hello?" she said, clearly annoyed.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were talking to me. Kind of spaced out there for a second," I said, smiling. Hermione repeated her question. "David Tennant is the tenth incarnation of the doctor. The Doctor is the main character of this muggle show, Doctor Who. I watched that show whenever the Dursleys were out of the house, to keep me sane," I explained.

Hermione, of course, ignored the part about keeping myself sane. That would have been the one part that Draco noticed. "So what does David Tennant look like?" she asked, impatient.

"Brown hair, kind of weird looking, to be honest." It was honestly the best description I could give of him. I never really paid any attention to how his face looked or the color of his eyes. Hermione, of course, asked for a better description. I told her that I couldn't give her one. "You just see a picture of him, and you can compare him to whoever it was at the campground. That is honestly the best way I can describe him," I said, only half apologizing.

Hermione threw a tizzy fit, simply because I couldn't describe the person who put the Dark Mark up in the sky. "You're sure that David Tennant isn't a wizard?" Harry asked, trying to break the silence.

"He's the most muggle muggle I know of," I said. I don't even remember what the rest of the trip was like. I'm sure we talked about unimportant things, and I stared off into space for the most part. The only other thing I remember of that trip is that Harry made goooogly eyes at some girl named Cho Chang. Could he be more obvious? Seriously, dude.

The next few weeks were really uneventful. Other than school starting again, and having very little time to see Draco, nothing was really interesting. Then, the triwizard tournament came.

Beauxbatons came by flying carriage, Durmstrang by boat. Those french girls really irritated me. All of the boys were staring at them, including the one who I consider to be mine. I brought it up with Draco on our date after they came. "Don't stare at those French girls anymore," I said, not even trying at all to skirt around it.

"You jealous, Tori?" Draco asked, amused.

I laughed. "Please, even if you could get up the courage to ask one of them out, they would cut you up like a fish," I said.

"So you're jealous," he confirmed.

"No, I'm not! Honestly. I've had you for almost a year," I said, although I was trying harder to convince myself than him.

Draco didn't buy it. I didn't think he would, especially if I couldn't myself. "How's this? If you admit to being jealous, I won't gawk or stare, or even think about French girls anymore," he said.

He really knew how to pull a hard bargain. Either way, he would get something out of this and I would be forced to do something I didn't want to do. The question was-which one did I want to do less? "Pride is your worst enemy, Tori," Draco said.

Yeah, he was right. Pride was my worst enemy. But, I also had this irresistible urge to prove people wrong. It was the exact push I needed. "Fine, I'm jealous. I don't want to think about the possibility of you going out with, staring at, or even thinking about anyone else," I said.

"That's all I needed to hear, babe," Draco said, smiling. He kissed me softly and quickly, like a summer's breeze. "You are the only one I ever think about, any way. Just don't go staring at the Durmstrang boys, ok?" he said.

"You're the only one I ever stare at," I said.

Draco smiled. "That can't be true. What about Cedric Diggory? Surely he's caught your eye," he said joking.

"He's a glittering fairy princess," I blurted, then covered my mouth after saying it. "He sparkles in the sunlight," I explained.

"Well, that's strange," Draco said, a half confused, half weirded-out look, on his face. "But don't most girls like that?" he asked me.

"Who the bloody hell said I was 'most girls?'" I asked him.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, a new era began. Draco was actually able to walk with me to class, and we could hold hands, and everything. "I like this, Tori. We don't have to hide anymore. I can hold your hand in front of everyone, I can kiss you without having to worry," he said, swinging around and kissing me quickly.

I smiled. "I wish we would have done this sooner. Waiting for this was the stupidest thing ever," I said.

"In a way, I suppose that's true. But it makes us realize how amazing it is, not having to hide. Most people take that for granted. It makes us appreciate the freedom that much more," Draco said.

"You really know how to use words to make girls gush," I said.

"And you really know how to use words to make people tremble with fear at the sound of your name," he said, which I rolled my eyes at. "Just kidding, sweetheart," he said and kissed me again.

People stared at us the whole day, but we didn't care. Harry was clearly furious with me, but I didn't care. Hermione was the one person who was really supportive of everything, which was really quite odd considering her aversion to me hanging out with Draco before. I asked her why she was so awesome about everything.

"It's different now that you love him. It was easier to be angry at you when you two were just friends, but love is so adorable. I see you two out in the hall way, and it's just so cute!" she said. So the only reason she was supportive was because she found love adorable. And I thought it was because she was my friend.

"So, guys, what do you honestly think about the whole thing with Draco and me?" I asked the girls that night before we went to bed. If they said anything negative, I probably wouldn't have cared, but I was really curious, and I had to know.

"I honestly think that you're kind of betraying Harry," Ginny said.

Oh no, she did not just say that! I was furious. "Ginny, that may have not been the wisest thing for you to say," Hermione said.

"Does nobody know that Draco was my friend before he was Harry's enemy? If anything, Harry's betraying me by being Draco's enemy. And even if that wasn't true, why is everyone more concerned about Harry's feelings than mine? Has anyone ever considered that I'm in love with this guy? Doesn't that supersede whatever anger Harry may have towards him?" I asked all of them, succeeding in freaking out almost everyone.

"The one thing that Viki gets upset about is when people even suggest that Harry's more important than her," Hermione whispered, trying to keep me from hearing it.

"You're right, Hermione. Ever since I was born, Harry's got all of these people paying attention to him-putting his needs above mine. It's cost me so many things. I almost died because nobody bothered to place my needs equal to his. I hid my relationship with Draco for a whole year, just so I wouldn't hurt anyone unnecessarily. So, right now, I have every right to be a little selfish."

Everyone was stunned. None of them knew what to say. They all just had blank looks on their faces. "I think that you and Draco are adorable together," Lavender said timidly.

"Thank you," I said, "It means a lot."

I wasn't sure if the chorus of agreement was only given because they were scared of me, but it felt good none the less. "Thanks, guys. I really need your support. Ginny, I'm sorry I freaked out and yelled at you. It's just a touchy subject for me," I said to them.

"Did Draco give you those earrings?" Hermione asked me, pointing to the jewels I always wore on my ears. I nodded yes. "So that's why you wanted to wear them to the Yule Ball. Gosh, how much are they worth? If Draco gave them to you, they must be real gems," she said in amazement.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, real black diamond, real gold, real garnet, real emerald. His family's wealthy. It doesn't matter what they're worth. I wear them because Draco gave them to me, not because I could probably sell them for a huge sum."

Hermione ignored me and asked me another question. Except this one was a bit trickier, and I would have to be careful with my answer. "Why the golden black snake? I mean, the dragon's obvious, because Draco's name means that. But why the snake with that exact coloring?" she asked.

I had very limited time to think. Take too long, and Hermione would think I was keeping something from her. "My patronus is a snake," I explained.

"You know how to cast a patronus?" Hermione asked, amazed.

I did, actually. That was just a convenience. "Harry's not the only one who wants to be protected from dementors," I said.

"Can you show us?" she asked, excitedly. I thought of the best memory I had, and it was when that girl with golden eyes put that image of Draco in my mind and told me that he was going to be the light in my gloomy life. Then, I used the encantation. A silvery cobra showed up. Everyone oooo-ed and ahhhed. "Why the colors?" Hermione asked.

"Those are my favorite colors," I said simply.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't really know where I should skip ahead to. I don't want to go too far, because then you'll get angry at me for not telling you the whole story. But the only interesting part is really far ahead. I mean, I could talk about one of the many many dates that Draco and I had, but they're all really just similar to the ones we had before. The only difference was that we didn't have to lie about where we were.

How's this? I'll skip ahead to Valentine's Day. I always feel like Valentine's Day has some significance to the year, when you're in love at least. Because of Draco, that's how I felt for the rest of my life.

Anyway, enough spoilers. Draco and I went to the Shrieking Shack, just like we always did. He asked me if I wanted to go somewhere warmer, but he and I both knew right after he asked the question that that wasn't going to happen. I just couldn't imagine going anywhere else besides that place. Something about the Shrieking Shack just felt so romantic for some reason. It was the place we always went, I suppose.

Anyway, this Valentine's Day was just like any other, except Draco made the effort to make things super cheesy romantic for the first (and I hoped last) time. He lit candles, laid out a stupid pink and red heart table cloth on the ground, had vases full of roses all around, and even had chocolates covering the ground.

"This is, by far, the cheesiest thing you've ever done. You got roses, not black gold lilies. You got chocolates. Do you know me at all?" I asked him.

"Yes, and that's why I'm throwing you a cheesy Valentine's Day. When we're old, we'll look back on this and think-that was the most amazing thing that we've ever done," he said, sitting down on the terrible table cloth and pulling me down with him.

"What I'm probably going to think in the future is that it was the cheesiest thing we've ever done and pray it doesn't happen again," I said, rolling my eyes.

"But you'll still remember it. That's what's most important, in my opinion. I think it's important to create lasting memories, no matter how cheesy they are. At least you aren't in some Valentine's Day decked out café with a bunch of kissy goo goo couples," Draco said. Nope, that would be next year.

"Kissy goo goo couples? Sounds terrible," I agreed. It was, of course. You'll understand why we went there in a few chapters.

"But you still definitely need a cheesy Valentine's Day. I don't care how much you protest," he said.

So, we had a cheesy Valentine's Day, just like Draco said we would. I complained so much about every little thing, even though I secretly almost liked everything. Except for the chocolate-I hated it when Draco tried to get me to eat some. "I hate chocolate. Don't ever make me eat it," I told him.

It was kind of fun-if you took away how cheesy it was. Draco was ridiculously romantic, as always. He wasn't the kind who would make a super romantic atmosphere, he was the kind of person who more made you swoon with his words. I liked that about him. He was surprisingly deep for a rich kid.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm sorry, but I have to skip ahead three more months. Precisely-to the day of the final task of the Triwizard tournament. This is when something huge happened that changed my whole life from that day on. And, believe me, it wasn't just because Voldemort came back.

Draco and I had a rather pleasant day, and agreed to make sure we didn't talk about the final event at all. I knew it would be the most dangerous out of all of them-no matter what anyone else said. Dragons? Easy. Mermaids? Easier. A dark maze? That got me worried. Draco knew that, so he tried his best to keep my mind off of it the whole day. There wasn't any point in me worrying about the inevitable.

"One time, you should show me this muggle television show that you love. I would love to learn about The Doctor and the TARDIS," he said to me when we were in DADA class.

The look on my face was priceless. I was just completely amazed that he said that-in a good way. In fact, it was better than a good way. I was just completely enthralled by his statement. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?" I asked him.

"Said the magic words, have I?" he asked with a smile. I nodded and smiled back.

When the inevitable was minutes away, Draco and I headed down to the field. Then, I realized I forgot something. I can't remember what it was now, of course. All I remember is that I really wanted it, and that I had to get it. Draco wanted to come with me to get it, but it was in my dorm, so he couldn't get anywhere near it. I told him to head down to the Quidditch field, and that I would just meet him there.

So there I was, walking down a deserted corridor. Everyone was gone, already sitting in the stands, waiting for the TWT to start. I was completely alone, or so I thought. It was then that I felt a cold, gloved hand cover my mouth. I tried to scream, but I blacked out before I had the chance.

The next thing I knew, I was laying on the cold dirt floor of a graveyard. It was definitely night-it was barely dusk when I left my dorm. I had a piece of rope in my mouth, soaked in a disgusting liquid that burned my lips and throat like fire. I was on the ground, on my knees. I looked up and I saw the face of Lucius Malfoy staring ahead.

I didn't freak out even when I saw the bubbling cauldron with Peter Pettigrew shouting incantations. I didn't freak out when I saw him cut off his own hand. I didn't freak out when I saw Lord Voldemort rise. I didn't freak out when I saw Harry there. "Lucius," Voldemort crooned, "bring the girl over here." That's when I started freaking out. When I started being dragged over to Voldemort, I flipped out.

I was scraped up pretty badly by the time I got to Voldemort. That face of his turned towards me and burned itself into my mind permanently. Harry saw me, and the pained look on his face was one I saw only that time. I never saw that look on his face for the rest of his life. He had had pained looks on his face before, but that one was true torture. I guess he did care about me, after all.


	8. Chapter 8

"Now, let's play a game of 'can Victoria live?' and Harry, you get to watch," Voldemort crooned. The way he talked-he was always crooning. He never really talked normally. His voice was always so calm, but that's what was the scariest part about him. "Lucius, the knife," he said.

Lucius Malfoy brought over a silver dagger that looked like it was dripping some sort of liquid that he was very careful not to get on his skin. "Have fun, Lucius," Voldemort said. Lucius looked flabbergasted and tried to protest. "I don't care if your son loves her. Do you want to be responsible for your whole family-dead, or do you want to be responsible for the possible death of your son's girlfriend? She may very well live, I don't know."

At that moment, I knew which I wanted to happen. It wouldn't just be Lucius's fault if Draco died, it would also be partly mine. _I could live through this,_ I reasoned. _Or, Tori, you could die. _Then I realized that it wouldn't matter if I did. Sure, I didn't plan on dying at 14, but it was better than being responsible for someone else's death. I knew that, if Lucius decided not to torture me, and nobody else did, I wouldn't ever be able to forgive myself if Draco died. It would probably drive me mad, and then I would die anyway.

When the stab of pain hit my shoulder, I didn't scream. I didn't scream the whole time of the torture. It was the most painful thing in the world, but I couldn't let them get me to scream. Silent tears went down my face, but I never screamed-not once. It took all of my will, but I succeeded. Having both of my legs shattered and snapped didn't make me scream. Even the cruciatus curse wasn't enough. "Well, you're no fun," Voldemort said and went to Harry.

Then, the duel happened, and priori incantatum made my parents appear. Cedric (who I didn't know died) was there, too. Lucius actually helped me escape, which I never thought would happen. I got on the portkey with Harry and Cedric's dead body, and I escaped.

Of course, nothing unusual happened to me when we got to the Quidditch field. I was pushed away as everyone huddled around Harry and the dead Cedric. I mean, I was just dying there, so why should anyone pay any attention to me? Draco was the only one who ran over to me. I tried to crawl over to him, but both of my legs were broken. Somehow I ended up in his arms before I realized I couldn't move anymore. I heard him shouting to everyone and anyone to help me. I remember Severus rushing over to me, and then I was surrounded in darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

I didn't know what to do when Victoria passed out in my arms. I kept shouting that people should help her. The only one who listened was Professor Snape. He came over and did all he could-spells, forcing potions down her throat, anything that would keep her from bleeding to death. But I worried it wasn't enough.

Two hours later, I was sitting by her bedside at Saint Mungo's. She still wasn't awake, and the healers weren't sure if she ever would wake up again. They told me that I should go back to Hogwarts (I wasn't supposed to be there in the first place, but Professor Snape helped me convince the teachers to let me be there), but I insisted to stay there until she woke up. "Tori, you need to wake up, _please_," I begged her.

There was no response, just as I knew would happen. A drop of water hit her expressionless face. I touched my eyes. "Look, you're making me cry now. I'm going to stay here with you, ok? I'll stay here as long as I'm allowed to. I'm never going to leave you ever again." I kept thinking to myself that I should have gone and looked for her. I wanted to, but all of the entrances/exits from the Quidditch field were closed off. I should have forced my way out. If only I wasn't such and idiot.

My father was oddly concerned about Victoria. He kept asking me if she would survive. "They aren't sure. If she doesn't ever wake up, then she's as good as dead," I said, although I didn't believe it in my heart. She had to wake up, and even asleep, she was a thousand times better than dead. I'm not sure why I said that. Maybe I thought that my father wouldn't understand if I said how I truly felt.

They made me go back to Hogwarts the next morning. I slept on a cot next to Victoria's bed, and they basically forced me to go back. I didn't want to leave her, and I only agreed to leave (well, I had to leave either way. Luckily, I had reached a compromise before I left), because they agreed to alert me the second she woke up. And, I was allowed to spend every second of the summer there if I wanted to.

My day back at Hogwarts was full of questions. Everyone wanted to know about Victoria, which I found rather strange. For many of the questions I was asked, my response was 'You barely know her.' I didn't see why so many people were concerned about her, if they never cared about her before.

Three months later, there was still no change in Victoria's condition. I had been there every second of every day that she'd been asleep. I never left her, unless I was forced to. I would read to her the Daily Prophet, tell her stories that I made up, just ramble on to her. It made me smile whenever I thought of what she would say to things I said to her.

"Draco, you've been here for three months. Don't you think it's time to leave?" one of the healers asked me at 6 o'clock on the day that marked three months.

"I'm never going to leave her. It's my fault she's like this. If I hadn't left her alone, this wouldn't have happened to her," I said, tears welling up in my eyes.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened. I'm sure that if she was awake, she'd tell you the same," the healer said.

"No, she'd tell me that I was an idiot. She'd tell me that there was no point in dwelling on something that couldn't be changed," I said, smiling thinking of her voice. "And then she'd make some Doctor Who reference that I wouldn't understand."

"She sounds like quite a special girl," the healer said.

"Yeah, she is. I've never met anyone quite like her," I said, thinking about the time I first met her. I wasn't quite sure of what I thought of her then, but I knew that she wouldn't be someone I would ever get rid of-not if I had anything to do about it.

"Why haven't you kissed her ever since you've been here? Most people tend to kiss their loved ones, no matter how deep in coma they are," the healer said.

I never had-that was true. I guess I never really saw the point of it. "It won't do anything if I do," I said. The healer shrugged and left, getting called somewhere else. I shrugged, and decided to take her suggestion.

I leaned over Victoria's motionless body. She was wearing the earrings I gave her over a year ago. Was that what she went to get? I couldn't remember. What would happen if I kissed her? Nothing, probably. But, I still kissed her.

I believe that, on rare occasions, true love's kiss will break the spell. This occasion just happened to be one of those rare ones, I suppose. I felt the tingle of a thousand blood vessels pumping up to work harder and faster. Her heart beat started going faster, and a weak hand went up and twisted itself into my hair. When I pulled away, I saw those beautiful golden eyes staring at me, a smile bright on her face.


	10. Chapter 10

I remembered being asleep. I constantly drifted in and out of a half conscious state, where I would only be able to hear. That was the one sense I had throughout my entire coma. Draco's voice was there most of the time-I even remember some of the things he told me. "I liked the story about the girl who ran out on the prince at midnight and left the glass slipper," I said.

Draco laughed. "Cinderella? I found that in a book of muggle fairy tales. You haven't heard it before?" he asked.

"Seriously? With the childhood I had, you think I read a muggle fairy tale?" I asked him. He had such an amazing smile on his face, and it was all because of me. "How long was I asleep?" I asked him.

Draco hesitated a little bit before he answered. "3 months exactly. You missed your birthday," he said, the smile starting to fade away.

"Put that smile back on your face. Just because I missed my birthday doesn't mean that you have a right to stop smiling," I said, trying so hard not to laugh. He smiled again. "Thank you. So, I'm 15 now. That's crazy."

"I'll make sure to bring you a gift tomorrow," he said.

"You don't need to get me a gift. I didn't buy you anything," I said. Yes, I was dead serious when I said that.

"You were in a _coma_!" he said, his eyes bigger than the rest of his face. I shrugged, and he said, "You waking up has been the best present, anyway."

"Thank you, but I'm still getting you a gift. Maybe I'll give you a t-shirt with a don't blink thing this year instead of the one with nine on it, like last year," I said.

Draco laughed. "As much as I appreciate all of the Doctor Who merchandise you give me, I really don't need anything," he said. I told him that everyone needed a gift for their birthday. "Why are we even talking about this? We should be talking about something else, like you. How do you feel?" he asked me.

"I'm fine. My arms and legs are all bandaged up, which feels kind of weird. Other than that, nothing interesting. I've been in a coma for three months, so nothing new's going on other than trying to staying alive," I said with a half smirk.

"I've not really been out in the real world since this happened. All I know is the stuff that's on the news. A lot about your brother, actually," he said. I groaned-more fame and glory for Harry, of course. "Actually, they're saying he's a liar. He told a bunch of people that Voldemort rose again, and they're saying a bunch of stuff about him."

I sighed, disgustedly. "The one time he's actually right about something, they call him a liar," I said, shaking my head.

"So he's really right? You actually saw him," Draco asked.

"Duh," I said and raised my bandaged arms a little bit for emphasis, which was something I definitely shouldn't have done. "Ouch," I said, although it was a lot more than an ouch.

"Don't try to move, Tori. I get your point," he said and squeezed my hand gently. Even though he barely touched me, it felt like he had a death grip on my hand. I was really weak, wasn't I?

Just then, a healer came in. "Why didn't you tell me she had woken up?" she asked Draco, and ran over to me, feeling my forehead, looking at my eyes, etc.

"I was really caught up in the moment, I suppose. I forgot," Draco said.

The healer ignored him and went on checking me for things. "How do you feel?" she asked me. She was right in my face, which was rather annoying.

"Like someone's invading my space," I said, annoyed. I heard Draco suppress a laugh, which made me smile.

The healer ignored my remark and continued looking over me. "Can you move?" she asked me.

"I can move my arms a little, but not my legs at all," I tried to move my legs, just to make sure, but I couldn't.

I was given a vial of potion, and then the nurse left. About ten minutes later, Lucius Malfoy came into my room. "Draco, we need to leave," he said.

Then he saw me awake, and he panicked. "Please let Draco stay," I pleaded. The expression on my face made it very clear that I basically wasn't giving him another option.

Lucius got my message. "I suppose, if you want, you can stay, Draco. I didn't realize that she had woken up," he said.

"Thank you, father," Draco said and looked back at me.

"I guess I'll leave you, Draco," Lucius said. Then he looked at me. "I'm pleased you're alive," he said curtly. Even though his tone implied that he would rather have me dead, I knew that he was genuinely happy that I was alive. If I had died, someone would have told Draco who was responsible, and Lucius would never have forgiven himself.

The healers wanted me to feed out of a tube, because I couldn't feed myself with my weak arms, but Draco told them that I deserved actual food. I protested, saying I couldn't feed myself. I honestly thought there was no other option. "I can feed you. I've got two working arms," Draco offered.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," I said, although I truthfully wanted that more than anything-except maybe the ability to feed myself.

"I've been waiting three months for you to wake up. Believe me, I want to, if it means that you'll stay awake," he said.

"I'll stay awake regardless of rather or not you feed me."

Draco didn't really seem to care about that, and continued on with his argument. "I want to feed you, because I love you, and I will help you in any way I possibly can. I know that, after three months of coma, you don't want to be fed through a tube," he.

"You're amazing, you know. Don't ever leave me," I said, half begging.

Draco kissed me softly on the lips. "You never have to worry about that. I'll be with you till the end of me," he said.

"Or vice versa," I muttered. I hadn't intended for him to actually hear it.

Draco's smile vanished completely and was replaced by a solemn and hurt look. "Don't say that, don't even joke about that, ever," he said.

"I'm sorry," I said, truly meaning it.

A single tear rolled down Draco's cheek. "I almost lost you, Tori. I just got you back mere minutes ago, and it was one of the happiest moments of my life. The thought of having to relive that pain I felt for the last three months is unfathomable."

I tried to grab his hand, but I didn't have enough strength to be able to. So instead I tried to use words. "I'll make sure that never happens again," I promised.

Draco didn't seem to think I would be capable of fulfilling the promise, which I couldn't blame him for. "You can't promise that, Victoria. The only person who can make sure nothing happens to you is me," he said.

"I would argue with you-and tell you that you shouldn't put that responsibility on yourself, but I know that it won't make a difference with you. You're easily one of the most stubborn people I know," I said and smiled.

So, it was agreed that Draco would feed me my food until either he got sick of staying at the hospital or I was able to feed myself. I honestly wasn't sure which would come first, considering Hogwarts was coming up in less than a month.

I hate being fed, no matter who it's by. I'm not a baby, and I don't think I ever was. Draco often jokes about the fact that I was born a stubborn seven year old. Sometimes I think he's right. Draco babied me when he was feeding me. He took a little forkful of mashed potatoes and zoomed it around my head saying it was a broom or something.

"Draco, how am I ever going to eat if you play with my food?" I asked him, using my best 'I'm going to kill you if you don't listen' voice. Draco continued to play with my food, swirling it around my head. Eventually, I used my neck and caught my food with my mouth in mid air. "Just give me my food next time. It'll save so much trouble," I said.

Draco didn't listen-of course. Instead, he made it more like a game. As irritating as it was, it was also kind of fun. I had a hard time not laughing, and he eventually got a giggle out of me. "And my life's mission is complete," he said. I laughed again, which made Draco's smile intensify a thousand times.

If I could use one word to describe Draco, it would be loving. Despite everything that it costs him, he still cares about me. He still loves, even when it seems nearly impossible. He's protective of the ones he loves, especially me. He would do anything for me, I know. And I feel the exact same way about him.


	11. Chapter 11

Draco stayed with me the entire first month I was at St. Mungo's. He never left unless he was forced to-which wasn't often. And by forced, I mean like dragged out. He refused to leave my side the whole time, which was really sweet, in my opinion.

I was able to regain most of the use in my arms, and some in my legs. But, I wouldn't be able to walk for several months after, and it would require intensive work, or so I was told by the healers. I was just happy that I was able to feed myself again. Draco's games with food were kind of annoying.

When Harry, Hermione, and Ron came with their dog (Sirius) to visit me, I was in a much better state than I was in the beginning. Here's the exact scene, because I'm terrible at describing something without dialogue.

"Victoria, you have some visitors," the healer said to me one day. At first, I couldn't think of who would ever visit me, besides the person who was insistent on spending every day with me. Then I saw three (not including Sirius) faces peaking in through the door.

Draco saw them too. "I'll just leave you guys alone," he said and got up to leave. He gave me a quick kiss before he left. "Love you," he said.

"Be back soon, ok?" I told him. He nodded and walked out the door, not even looking at Harry, Hermione, or Ron.

"How long has he been here?" Harry asked when he came in.

"Four months," I said.

"You've not even been awake for one," Harry said, confused.

"He waited until I was," I said simply.

Harry just stared at me. Hermione, who was sick of the silence, laughed. "Well, you know your man loves you if he spends a quarter of the year waiting for you to wake up," she said nervously.

Wow, I didn't even think about that. I mean, I knew he had been with me for 3 months before I woke up, but I didn't think about it being a quarter of the year. To me, that made it sound like a lot longer than it sounded originally. "I really feel bad now," I said.

"Why?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"I feel like sometimes I take him for granted. The truth is, he's the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I wish I could somehow show that to him," I murmured.

Harry and Ron shifted uncomfortably. "So, when are you going to be able to leave?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"Definitely not before Hogwarts starts. I'll have to start my classes a little bit late," I said, sighing. "But, hey, at least I get to return to Hogwarts eventually, right? My arms just have to get a bit stronger. My legs are still a work in progress," I explained.

"So you can't walk at all? Why?" Hermione asked.

"The poison on the dagger did some real bad damage to the muscles in my legs. My arms aren't nearly as bad. Gosh, I'm going to have such bad scars," I said, half laughing.

Harry decided to change the subject again. "We were all really scared that we were going to lose you," Harry said, pain clear in his eyes.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm going to be ok. A little banged up, maybe, but I'm going to be fine in the end," I said and smiled reassuringly.

"Why are your arms still bandaged?" Hermione asked. Maybe it wasn't the best idea for her to ask that.

I'd honestly never seen the way my arms were without the bandages, even though the bandages had been on for four months, and I'd been awake for a quarter of that. I was speechless after Hermione's question. I wasn't going to admit to any of them that I was scared to see the bandages taken off. So, I went into a chorus of um's and basically freaked out.

Luckily, Draco saved me, as he always did. He came in and said "She's scared," he said and sat down next to me.

"You're scared? Why?" Ron asked. Oh, Ron, always the stupid question asker.

Draco was clearly as annoyed with Ron's stupid question as I was. "Think about it-going through something as awful as she did, and knowing you're going to have a hundred scars afterward, how would you feel?" Draco asked him.

Harry was the only one still confused. "But you didn't even scream when it happened. How are you scared now?" he asked me.

Now, that was a reasonable question. "I didn't have time to think about fear when it happened. I only kept myself from screaming because I didn't want to let them get what they wanted. This is different," I said.

"You didn't scream?" Draco, Hermione, and Ron all asked at the same time.

"Not even a little bit. Like I said, I didn't want them to get what they wanted. I couldn't let them, so I didn't. It took an iron strong will, but I was able to get what I set out for," I explained.

"That's brilliant," they all murmured.

I continued on with the point I was trying to make earlier. "The point is, I'm terrified. What if it's a thousand times worse than it is in my mind?" I asked them.

"I've seen your arms without the bandages, Tori. It really isn't that bad," Draco said. Whenever the bandages were changed-which was often, Draco was there and he made sure that I didn't have to see.

"It won't be the way you think it will, Viki. It won't be that bad. But if you decide to take the bandages off, we can be here for you, if you want," Hermione offered. I knew she wasn't entirely sure about the first part, but I found the last part rather touching.

I actually considered her offer for a while. "Heck, why not? I might as well get used to it, and you all are going back to Hogwarts in a couple days, anyway," I said, laughing nervously. I turned my head to the healer who was still in the room, making sure nothing happened to me. "Is it ok if I take the bandages off?" I asked her.

The healer nodded. "I can take them off if you want, or you can have one of your friends do it," she said.

"I want Draco to do it," I said firmly. Pretty sure two people died inside, one person was touched, and the other completely confused. You figure out which person goes in which category-it's not all that hard.

Draco slowly undid the tightly wound white gauze, wrapping the material not on my arms around his hand. I didn't look until I no longer felt any of the soft white cotton anywhere. "I told you it wasn't bad," he said.

I looked at my bare arms, and was pleasantly surprised. But, Draco was still sugarcoating it a little. The scars were obvious-dark and jagged and large. There were so many of them, crisscrossing around my arms. But, it was a pleasant surprise, since I had pictured the outcome to be so much worse.

"I told you it wasn't that bad," Draco said.

"Yeah, it's much better than I thought," I admitted.

Harry told me about the fact that he was in a trial for underage magic. I told him that he should be more careful next time, and they left. I was honestly kind of relieved that they had gone. They all seemed so uncomfortable around me, like I was a ticking bomb ready to explode, or something. It kind of made me feel nervous. Draco, on the other hand, was concerned about me, but not overbearingly so. I felt much more comfortable around him.

After goodbyes, everything was better. "Am I really the best thing that could have ever happened to you?" Draco asked after they had all left.

"I should have known that you'd hear that," I said laughing a little. Draco was still waiting for my answer. "How could you not be the best thing that could ever happen to me? You've wasted a quarter of the year just waiting for me to wake up from a coma that I may have never woken up from. You give me something I've never been lucky enough to receive in my whole life-love. The fact that you love me is worth more than anything else in the world," I explained. I could have said so much more, but I didn't.

"I just hope you realize that the reason why I've spent a quarter of my year waiting for you is because I love you a billion billion times more than humanly possible," he said.

"But I'm so hideous now. Look at my arms. My legs are probably worse."

Draco always knew the right thing to say. "You are as far from hideous as Ron is from intelligent. You're incredibly beautiful," he said.

I laughed. "Insulting someone while complimenting me… Wow, Draco, you really must know me well," I said between my fits of giggles.

"Of course I know you well-you've been my girlfriend for a year and a half, and my best friend for four years. And, even if you have a few scars, that doesn't, in any way, mar your amazing beauty. I don't care what people may think-you'll always be the most beautiful girl in the world," he said, taking my hand. I was much stronger now, and it didn't hurt at all when Draco gently squeezed my hand.

Like all good things, my time with Draco had to end. While I stayed at the hospital, Draco went back to Hogwarts. As much as it hurt to see him leave, I knew that staying in the hospital wasn't doing much good for him, and that he needed a change of scenery. It was good for him to have some life without me, no matter how much it killed me to be without him.

I wrote Draco nearly every day, basically telling him the same thing over and over again. I told him that I missed him, that I couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts, and that life at the hospital was boring. He would write back, telling me all of the things that were going on at Hogwarts. At the end of every letter, he would say that he loved me, and that he couldn't wait to see me again. Getting Draco's letters brought happiness and excitement, but it also made me miss him more.

I was able to move around after about two weeks had passed since Draco left. I used these crutches, and was able to move around while keeping off my feet. It was difficult, but I mastered it the day before I went back to Hogwarts. In fact, it was because of that that I was allowed to go back. I had been begging for weeks and weeks to be able to leave. As much as I had grown to love the staff, going back was my top priority.


	12. Chapter 12

I hadn't heard from Victoria in several weeks, which shouldn't have worried me, but it did. I knew how slow mail was from St. Mungo's, but I was still concerned. I told myself that I was just being paranoid, like always, but it didn't stop me from feeling worried. I knew that they had healers watching her 24/7, but I still felt anxious.

Harry's description of DADA was completely accurate. Professor Umbridge, although I was supposed to like her, was an idiot. I didn't care how many people at the Ministry told me that she was a lovely person, I still hated her. I mean, _come on_! The whole point of DADA was to use magic, and the fact that we had to read theory was infuriating for everyone. Voldemort was rising, and there was no way anybody could stop it. Of course, I wasn't as stupid as Victoria's brother to say that, but it was true.

I had a difficult time staying awake during DADA, and an even more difficult time seeming like I was interested. I was supposed to, so Umbridge wouldn't despise me like she did every other student. I'd seen what she'd made the people who got detention do.

Then, I heard someone come through the door. I didn't turn around, because I just assumed it was another teacher or something. "Hi, sorry I'm late. I've only just got back from St. Mungo's," the person who came in said. I could recognize that voice from a mile away. I whipped around, and, sure enough, Victoria was standing in the doorway. Both of her arms and legs were covered completely with black leggings and long sleeved shirt, which she covered with her school uniform.

When other people saw her, they started clapping. Eventually, it went into whooping and cheering. I just sat there like an idiot smiling at her. Professor Umbridge didn't let the celebration last long, and shut it down very quickly. "Excuse me, I've never seen you before. Who are you?" Umbridge asked her.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Victoria Potter. I've been in St. Mungo's for the past five months, so I haven't come to school. Professor Dumbledore or Professor Snape must have told you I was coming late in the year," Victoria said.

"No, nobody told me about that," Umbridge said, clearly confused. "Do you have any relation with Harry Potter, Victoria?" she asked her.

Victoria was obviously very confused on the relevance of this question, and I could just see her mind thinking 'God, I hope that she doesn't favor me just because of that.' Victoria, your wish is granted in five, four, three… "Yes, he's my brother," Victoria said.

"Ok. Well, I'll just have you sit with Mr. Malfoy, then." Umbridge looked completely satisfied with herself, thinking that she had placed Victoria with the person she hated most. Boy was she wrong.

Victoria hobbled over to my spot in the classroom. "Draco, mind helping me?" she asked. I nodded and helped her into her seat. "Thanks, babe," she said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

You should have seen Professor Umbridge's face for a second. Oh, my god, it was hilarious. Clearly she wasn't aware of the situation beforehand. "Oh, you didn't know that Draco's my boyfriend?" Victoria asked. I could see the whole class trying not to laugh, and I was right with them. Victoria was the only one in the class with a straight face on.

Class was continued as soon as Professor Umbridge was able to regain composure, which took a surprisingly long time. "Missed you," I whispered to Victoria.

"Missed you too. So glad to be back," she said, taking my hand and squeezing it. She looked at the agenda put up for the time we would be spending in class. "Excuse me, are we just reading the whole time?" Victoria asked, raising her hand.

"Yes, Miss Potter. I assume that you have a lot to catch up on, considering your absence," Professor Umbridge said.

"Actually, no. I thought that reading the book was required before entering the class, so I read everything at the hospital already," Victoria said.

Umbridge seemed impressed with that, which was the exact opposite reaction given to Hermione Granger. Hermione saw that, too, and was very irritated. "I suppose for the rest of class, you can work on making up work from other classes," Umbridge said.

Luckily, Victoria had some things to work on. All of the professors had given her work that she could do at the hospital for the most part. They really didn't put a set date on when everything had to be finished; they were very sympathetic towards her situation. Also, Victoria is a brilliant witch (even if none of the other students knew at the time), so they knew she would pick up the concepts rather quickly.

Victoria and I were allowed to go to another room so I could help her out with her work without disturbing any other students. She really didn't need much help, considering how brilliant she is, but it was nice getting to spend some time with her. "So why didn't you tell me that you were coming back?" I asked her.

"There wasn't enough time to write a letter. I found out this morning that I was coming back, and I felt like making a big entrance," Victoria explained, writing down more on her history essay. "God, I hate history, don't you?" she said, laughing.

"Yeah, I'm rubbish at it. How in hell are you so good at it?" I asked her.

"I've got a good memory," she said simply. "Which goblin killed Fredriek Dartson?" she asked me, still working on the essay.

"Not a clue," I said. Victoria rolled her eyes, like 'a fat lot of good you're worth.' "Do you have to work on history right now? I mean, you just got back, and I'm sure Professor Binns will be willing to give you the rest of the year to catch up," I said.

"I guess you're right," she said, putting down her quill. "So, what do you want to talk about?" Victoria asked. My face must have given away my thought of how she knew I wanted to talk about something. "Your body language clearly states that you want to talk about something, and you know that you should never interrupt me when I'm working on anything without good reason," she explained.

"You really are brilliant," I murmured. Victoria looked at me like her question was still unanswered, and she was waiting for me to give a response. "I just wanted to talk about you. How do you feel?"

Victoria shrugged. "Fine, I suppose. I mean, I'm clearly never wearing a bikini again, or anything with short sleeves or anything that doesn't cover up my scars, but I'm fine otherwise," she said.

"You shouldn't worry about those scars being covered up. Everyone knows you're the most beautiful girl in the world, even with those scars," I said.

"No, I'm pretty sure that's just you," she said.

I grabbed her hand and pushed up the sleeve of her robes and long sleeved shirt that was underneath. The scars were there, of course. I brought her arm to my mouth and kissed each scar. "Believe me, you're the most beautiful girl in the world. Anyone who says differently deserves a thousand insults," I said.

Victoria smiled. Clearly I knew her well enough to know that insulting people always made her feel a little bit better. "Thanks. How about, for fun, we come up with some names for those people?" she suggested.

"Peasant is one name. How about we use mudblood, or is that a little too pureblood of me?" I asked her, joking about the second sentence.

We came up with names such as 'pansycake' (strange, if you ask me) 'dalek' (A Doctor Who reference, obviously), 'mundane,' 'mutt,' and 'mortal.' I didn't really understand most of them, but I'm pretty sure they were mostly Muggle book references. Victoria loves reading literature that muggles find fascinating. Coming up with all of those names made her a little more cheerful.

We did get a lot of her work done, despite talking so much. We were both thrilled to see each other again, and I was happy that she was able to move around by herself. She admitted that it was pretty much the only reason she was allowed to come back to Hogwarts, which is why she was working so hard on it. Also, she had to visit the school hospital at least once a day, just to make sure that she was okay.

Class felt very short that day. I didn't have any other classes with Victoria that day, so I made sure I spent the entirety of break with her. Hermione came by us in a huff, angry about what happened in class. "I can't believe that you were given special treatment by Umbridge. That's just ridiculous!" Hermione said angrily.

Victoria was used to Hermione's rants, and just laughed. "Hermione, I needed to make up work. I've been gone for a whole month, almost. And, if anyone's to blame, it's him," she said, gesturing towards me.

I pretended surprise at her comment, when we all knew that it was the truth. "I still think it's unfair," Hermione said and speed-walked away.

"Well, she's really something, isn't she?" Victoria said, laughing.

"You're telling me. I pity the bloke who ends up with her," I said, laughing along. I do think that she and Ron deserve each other.


	13. Chapter 13

Throughout the next few days, Draco was extremely protective over me. Every time even the smallest thing happened, he would freak out and make sure I was alright. He insisted on following me everywhere, and would make sure that someone was with me when he couldn't. At first, I thought it was really sweet, but I soon got rather irritated by it.

One day, I just had enough of it. I hobbled over so I was standing in front of Draco, and said, "Draco, honey, I need some space. You've become a little overbearing." He didn't seem to understand. "You need to stop worrying so much about me. If I go into the bathroom by myself, I'm not going to get killed."

"I'm sorry," Draco said apologetically. "I guess I'm being a little paranoid. But, it's my fault that what happened to you happened," he said.

"How do you figure that? Just because you couldn't come with me to my dorms and the fact that I was completely alone when it happened doesn't mean that it was your fault. I could never blame you for what happened. It's not your fault," I said.

"If I had insisted that you didn't need the earrings, you wouldn't have gotten hurt," Draco said. Oh, now I remember. It was the earrings that Draco gave me that I went back for.

"I went back for a pair of earrings?" I said, completely appalled at my own stupidity. Draco nodded solemnly. "I'm such an idiot."

"You couldn't have known what was going to happen," Draco said in my defense.

"And neither could have you," I said, proving my point.

Draco was stumped, for one of the first times in his life. "Well," he kept saying, trying to come up with something to say afterward.

"Boom," I said and hobbled away.


	14. Chapter 14

_Lucius came into my hospital room-Draco was getting tea. Draco only agreed to leave because Lucius agreed to make sure nothing happened to me. I scoffed in my mind, thinking that Lucius Malfoy was the last person (other than Voldemort, of course) that I wanted to be alone with. _

_"Why didn't you tell him?" Lucius asked as soon as Draco was, for sure, out of earshot. I acted like I didn't know what he was talking about, even though I obviously did. "Why didn't you tell him it's my fault you ended up this way?" Lucius said through gritted teeth. _

_"Oh, right, of course. Why do you think I haven't told him?" I asked, not putting any particular emphasis on any particular word, seeing what meaning Lucius would get from it. _

_He took the one I had expected him to take. "So you have told him?" Lucius asked. I shook my head 'no.' "I don't know why you haven't told him, Victoria," Lucius said. _

_I thought about telling him to guess. I had all the cards, but I found it so much better to tell him myself. "The answer is simple, Mr. Malfoy. I'm giving you a choice. You can either do the right thing and tell him yourself, which may give you a little easier of a time to be forgiven, or you can let the news leak out to him from my brother or one of the many people he's bound to tell. The second option may keep your nose from being broken, but it will show your son you're a coward, which will make your time until forgiveness much longer," I explained. _

_"But you aren't going to tell him," Lucius half asked. _

_"Not unless you want me to. I do think that hearing it from me might make it a little easier for Draco, as opposed to hearing it from a complete stranger. But I still think you should tell him yourself."_

_"Why are you being so kind to me? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be in this position. You could be with your aunt and uncle," Lucius said. _

_"If I were with my aunt and uncle, I would be locked in an attic being forced to eat rats, instead of this delicious hospital food. I'm almost grateful towards you," I said, although I was clearly exaggerating the last part. _

_"Thank you, Victoria," he said. Then Draco came back in. Luckily, he didn't hear anything, and we continued the rest of the day as if he had never left. _

Two days after I got back to Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy paid Draco a visit. He told him, in private, that it was his fault that what happened to me happened because of him. "I was the one who captured Victoria. I was the one with the knife, and it's my fault that she got hurt," Lucius said quickly. I was just within earshot of the conversation, so I could do something if anything got out of hand. Also, I could listen.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Draco said, his voice shaking with the anger that he was trying to control.

Lucius paused for a second. "I'm a coward," he said eventually. I had a hard time not laughing, and I was just so happy that he admitted it.

"Why didn't Victoria tell me then?" Draco asked. Please, Lucius, don't make me explain why I didn't tell him.

Luckily, he listened to my silent prayer. "It's not your," then he said, half shuddering, "_girlfriend's_ fault that you didn't know until now. She gave me the choice of who told you."

Draco didn't seem to believe that I would do such a thing. "Why would she do that? Why would she be kind to you, after everything?" Draco asked his father.

Lucius choked out the next few words. "She loves you."

Draco already knew this, but was surprised by the strength of my love for him. "I love her more than I can even describe to someone with such a limited mind, such as yourself," he said and walked away and towards me. "Thank you for being so amazing," he said and kissed me.

"Love you too, honey," I said when I pulled away.

"Do you want me to carry you to your next class?" Draco offered. He was clearly very pleased with me, which I found rather strange. I guess he was trying to take his mind off the anger he felt towards his father by focusing intensely on his love for me. I was one lucky girl, so I accepted his offer. It was difficult hobbling on crutches all the time. Besides, what girl doesn't love being carried around by their knight in shining armor?


	15. Chapter 15

My next class was Advanced Potions with Professor Snape. I hadn't seen him since, well, when it happened. When Draco carried me into class, Severus's face lit up. "You're back!" he said, excitedly.

Draco set my crutches down and helped me so I could use them. He could read my mind like that. "Boy, did I miss this classroom," I murmured, looking around at all the shelves and cabinets full of potions/ingredients, and inhaling the scent that was a mixture between the sweet but alcohol scent of draught of the living death and the bitter scent of bezoars.

"You should have come by here the second you got back," Severus said, half scolding.

"Sorry, I've been really busy with making up the month's worth of work from classes. I've got almost everything done now, though," I said. I was so happy to be back in this classroom, I didn't know what to do.

"I'm just happy that you're alive and well. So many people thought we were going to lose you," Severus said.

I shrugged. I was so sick of everyone always being like 'oh, everyone thought you were going to die.' I know, I was on the verge of death. Don't remind me more than you absolutely have to. But I couldn't be angry at my favorite teacher. "Well, other than my legs being busted, I'm fine. Draco's helped me so much through everything."

"I think even your brother's thankful for Draco being there for you at this point," the Professor said.

"So what am I doing in class today?" I asked.

"Is it ok if I stay and watch? I promise I won't disturb anything," Draco said.

"If it's ok with you, Severus, I would love it if he would stay," I said. Severus allowed it, and Draco was the first student other than me to be in my potions class. He basically just observed as I was given guidance on making a love potion (a fairly weak one, as compared to Amortentia). "Don't worry, Draco, I won't use this stuff on you," I said.

"So you haven't been already? Strange…" he said. I smiled and went back to working on the potion. I added a sprig of rosemary, which was supposed to attract people to the potion.

_The first day of my new potions class made me feel half excited half anxious. Draco was right about the possibility that I would, in fact, work faster than the regular class. But, I saw it as a very unlikely situation. I mean, I couldn't even read, for crying out loud. But, maybe after I learned how to, then I could move faster. But I still didn't think it would work out. _

_I walked into the empty classroom that looked so much larger without all of the people in it. I felt like I was in a vast and empty field, and a mile away was my teacher. "Hello, Victoria Potter. Ready to start working?" Professor Snape asked. The way he said my name gave me chills. _

_I felt like a five year old from the way Professor Snape was talking to me. I was learning, I'll admit, but I felt so stupid. "You're actually doing very well, Victoria. I think that, in about a month, you'll know how to read almost as well as everyone else," Snape said at the end of class. _

_"Wow, really?" I asked, surprised at my own progress._

_"Yes. It seems like you have a much greater capacity for learning than your brother," Snape spat. _

I find it amazing how my relationship with Professor Snape grew so much from what it was in the beginning of my Hogwarts experience to the end of his life. By the time fourth year had come around, I almost considered him to be a father figure for me.


	16. Chapter 16

A couple days later, Draco brought up the subject about how I couldn't walk and that we should fix that. "Sweetheart, as much as I hate these crutches, I do not plan on going through a lot of pain to try and get off them," I told him.

"Come on, Victoria. Don't be stubborn just for once in your life," Draco said. If I could have, I would have put my hands on my hips, but I couldn't. Instead, I just gave him a very sassy look. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. Just please consider it. Don't you want to walk again?" he asked.

"Isn't it just better to never try rather than try and fail?"

"You can't be serious," Draco said. Sassy look again. "Seriously? I've never known you to be one of those people who gives up before trying," he said.

"The graveyard changed me. What else can I say?" I asked him.

"You can say that you'll at least give it a go, and try to walk again. You knew it was going to be hard the second you woke up from your coma," Draco said. I had to love one of the few people who was as stubborn as I was…

"Actually, if you remember correctly, the second I woke up, I was sucking face with you," I said irritatedly. It was actually rather strange that I was so irritated by that. Every time I remembered that, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. Being kissed awake (from a deep coma, I'll remind you) by your soul mate isn't exactly a common occurrence.

"Please don't get angry, Tori. I'm just saying that you should seriously consider this. I don't want to see you give up on something so easily. I've never known you to be that way. Also, I want you to know that I'll help you in any way I possibly can."

"Thanks, but it's something I'm unlikely to do. I'm sorry, Draco, but I just can't. I might as well get used to crutches, cuz that's what's going to be my mode of transportation for the rest of my life," I said.

"What if I told you that the reason I want your legs to be stronger is because I want to have sex with you?" Draco asked, making it much more of a statement than a question.

My face, according to Draco, was hilarious after his statement. "Then I'd tell you to go f**k yourself," I said.

"Well, I'm obviously staying a virgin for quite a while longer," he mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear.

"I'm fifteen, Draco. So are you. I'm not having sex at fifteen," I said. I was wrong. "The point is that I'm not going to walk ever again," I said. I was done having the conversation, and went away. It's so hard not being able to use the word 'walk' or any of its synonyms when describing leaving.

The second that Victoria came back to Hogwarts, she decided to spend almost all of her time with her boyfriend. I mean, I had to expect she would. She spent most of her time since the Yule Ball with him, and apparently most of the time before that. And, apparently, I was the last person who mattered to know about that.

The strangest thing about this, though, is that Malfoy had enough time away from Victoria to approach me. "Potter," he shouted as he walked towards me.

"You know your girlfriend's last name is also Potter," I said when he was close enough so I didn't have to shout.

Malfoy shrugged. "Eventually it'll be Malfoy. You're stuck with Potter forever," he said nonchalantly.

As I pretended to ignore what he meant by that, I began to wonder why he wanted to talk to me. "What do you want, Malfoy?" I asked him, crossing my arms.

"I'm actually here to talk about your sister. She's being even more stubborn than usual. I figured that you could help talk some sense into her."

I actually never knew Victoria to be stubborn. Apparently her boyfriend knew her better than I did. I couldn't let him know about that, though. He would use it against me. "What is she being particularly stubborn about?" I asked Malfoy.

"She's refusing to even try to try walking again. She actually said that it would be better to never try than try and fail."

"What arguments did you try to use against her?" I asked him. He didn't answer. "Fine, I'll talk to her. But, if she's being as stubborn as you say, I wouldn't count on it getting anywhere," I said.

"Thank you," he said and swaggered away. (Victoria made me use that verb.)

Finding Victoria was a more difficult task than I thought it would be. I'd thought that she would be in the Gryffindor common room, like most people. Eventually, I found her in the library looking at a book of potions. "Hey, Viki," I said.

Victoria looked up from her book for a second. "Oh, hi Harry," she said, but went back to the book. When I didn't leave, Victoria asked, "What do you want?" She wasn't malicious in her tone, although one would think she was. She was completely inquisitive.

I sat down next to her at the table. I saw that her crutches were leaned up against the chair on her opposite side. I wondered how she was able to sit down without the assistance of her boyfriend. "So, I heard that you are refusing even trying to try to walk again," I said.

Victoria groaned. "Draco sent you, didn't he?" she asked. I shrugged. "I thought we were done with this. I thought that, for once, he would give up on something," she said.

"Why are you giving up on this?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, it's not like you actually care about this," she said and went back to the book.

"Of course I care," I said, hurt by the comment. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been in that situation."

"Why does everyone blame themselves for what happened? It's not anyone's fault! If I didn't insist on going back for a stupid pair of earrings, it wouldn't have happened. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine!" she exclaimed.

"You can't blame yourself any more than anyone else can. But it really is my fault. If I wasn't famous Harry Potter, then Voldemort wouldn't have it in for you," I said.

"If you weren't famous Harry Potter, I wouldn't be Draco's girlfriend, either. If you weren't the famous Harry Potter, then I wouldn't have had to eat rats for eleven years. If you weren't famous Harry Potter, we'd probably have a mum and dad. Face it, my life would be a lot worse if you weren't famous Harry Potter."

I found her last statement rather strange, considering the fact that everything before that was a negative. "What do you mean?" I asked her.

"If you weren't famous Harry Potter, I wouldn't be Draco's girlfriend. That cancels out all of the bad things," she said. Ok, Victoria was border lining crazy, as far as I was concerned.

So, I decided to try to sabotage their relationship. "Did you know that Draco said that your last name would be Malfoy in not too long?" I asked her.

Instead of doing the Victorian thing that I'd expected her to do, she said "Aw, that's so sweet. It's also very true."

"Please tell me that Draco's not going to be my brother in law," I said, hoping that she wasn't implying what I thought.

"Oh, no. Draco and I aren't engaged yet. I'm fifteen, not crazy. I mean, it's probably going to happen eventually, so you might as well get used to the idea," she said. I never would get used to the idea, not until a long time after it happened.

I decided to change the subject. "You need to try walking again. I know you're scared, which is reasonable. Still, there's no point in going on crutches for the rest of your life. You're going to have to depend on other people in order to get around. You don't want that, do you?" I said.

"How's this, if you don't ever blame yourself again for what happened, I'll try walking again. And, Draco has to agree to those terms, too. And, please don't try to talk to me about important things again. It's really not your area," she said.

Well, I had done what I had come for, and that was good enough for me. "Deal, I won't blame myself. And, please don't talk about your future with Malfoy again," I said.

"Oh, does it make the little baby uncomfortable?" Victoria taunted in a mocking baby voice. I rolled my eyes and left.


	17. Chapter 17

Draco was never going to let the fact that I caved go. "Didn't you want me to cave?" I asked him.

"Yes, and I'm so happy you did," he said, giving me a kiss on the forehead, although the tone he gave was definitely still taunting.

"And, I didn't exactly cave. I decided that your points were reasonable, and that I might as well agree with you," I said, although I didn't agree at all. I truthfully just was done with listening to people annoy me about it. I was still a stubborn mule on the inside.

"Ok, I believe you," Draco said. I knew that he didn't. He and I knew each other too well to let a lie slip past.

"So, about what you said to Harry…" I said. Draco shrugged. "You told him that my last name would be Malfoy in soon enough time."

"Oh, he told you that? He was just commenting on how I called him 'Potter' and how your last name is also Potter. I told him that your last name would eventually be Malfoy, and then he got uncomfortable and changed the subject," Draco explained.

"So you're that confident that I'll end up marrying you. We haven't even discussed that possibility yet," I said.

"Is that something you want to talk about?" Draco asked.

"Well, I think we kind of have to," I said.

"Ok. I mean, I've clearly never had a conversation like this before. Where do we even begin?" he asked.

"Let's find some place to sit down. I hate these crutches," I said. I was going to add that it was probably the only reason why I had agreed to try walking again, but I figured that Draco already knew.

We sat down on a plush couch in the vast and never ending library. Every time I went there, it was as if a new portion had just appeared. "So, where do we begin?" Draco asked me.

"When Harry told me that you said my last name would be Malfoy soon enough, I told him that I thought it was sweet, and that it was true," I said.

"So you do see the possibility of getting married," Draco half asked.

"Of course I do. I mean, we're fifteen, and it would definitely be down the road a ways, but I love you more than anything else in the world. You're the only reason why I can actually accept the fact that my childhood was misery," I said.

"And I love you even more. And, I completely agree with you. I mean, if we were a little older, I would have proposed to you almost year ago. But, we're way too young now, obviously," he said.

"So when is the right time?" I asked him.

"After we graduate Hogwarts and get jobs. I mean, we could both just live off my parents' money, but I know you. You wouldn't be able to just sit and do nothing all day. You are one of those people who need a job," Draco said.

"Ok. I better have an engagement ring on my finger by the time we leave Hogwarts. Start saving up, Draco," I said.

"I don't have to save up for a ring, Victoria. Didn't I just say that we could live off my parents' money for the rest of our lives?" he asked me, irritated.

I shrugged. "Well then you have no excuse not to buy me one by the time we leave Hogwarts, then."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Now, back to being able to walk again, I have some ideas for that," he said, changing the subject.

We discussed on how he would help me strengthen my legs to work again. He had, apparently, talked to Professor Snape already about making me a potion to help along with that. But, a large factor of this was time. I would take a potion for a long time, and do all I could to strengthen myself.

The potion I got didn't taste rotten, as I thought it would. Professor Snape actually purposefully made it taste ok, since I would have to take it every day for a long time. I thanked him for that, and waited for something to happen. I will admit, I felt a bit of a warm feeling spreading throughout my body the second after I drank the potion. I figured that it was a good sign.

Every day until the potion worked to its full capacity, Draco and I would go in the room of requirement. He would put a little bit of pressure on my legs and see how much I could take. The goal of each day's work was for me to be able to withstand a little bit more pressure than the day before.

A month had passed and I thought that we had made some real progress. Draco thought so, too. "How about you try walking today?" he suggested.

I had known that this day would come eventually, and I had tried to prepare myself for it. But, I was still terrified beyond belief. "Um, how about no?" I suggested.

"Victoria, I know you're scared. But you have to try. We've been working a month for this. Don't give up just because of fear," he said.

"How about tomorrow?" I suggested.

"You're going to say the same thing tomorrow. If you're worried about falling, I'll catch you. I promise," he said.

"Ok, fine. If I fall on the ground, I'm blaming you. It'll be your fault," I said. Draco accepted the responsibility and handed me my crutches. I got up and 'stood' there, like I usually did, without my legs actually touching the ground.

"Put your legs on the ground, Victoria," Draco said. I did so, and my legs starting hurting a very small amount. He took one of the crutches and slipped his shoulder underneath my arm. Then, he took the other crutch. "Now you're going to stand by yourself. It'll be ok, I promise." Draco let go of me.

"My legs hurt," I complained.

"At least you haven't fallen. Now try walking," he said, holding out his hand, which I took. I took an uneasy step, putting almost all of my weight on Draco's hand. "Now try not to crush my hand next time. You might as well have crutches." The next time I put a little less, and then the time after that it was even less, and then so on and so forth until Draco's hand was just there for comfort. "Oh my god, you did it!" Draco said when I took a step by myself.

"Bloody hell, I did!" I exclaimed. I can't even describe to you the amazing feeling I felt when I realized I could walk again. The only people that can understand are people who've been through the same thing. Of course, I was one of the lucky ones-I only had to go through three months without walking. I want to give a congratulation to anyone who's won the same battle as me, and a three fingered salute to anyone who's still battling. I'm rooting for you all.

Unfortunately, just because I took a few steps did not mean that I could walk a marathon. After walking around in the room of requirement for a few minutes, my legs couldn't take much more and I collapsed. Draco, like he promised, caught me before I fell. "Are you ok?" he asked, setting me on a couch that materialized next to us.

"I'm fine. Just got a little tired, I suppose," I said, trying to laugh it off. Draco's beautiful deep blue eyes and concerned gaze didn't waver from my face. "I'm ok, Draco, really. You caught me," I said and kissed his perfect lips softly.

"If you aren't ok, don't pretend like you are. It's not going to do you any good," he said.

"But, the thing is, Draco, I am ok. I just fell, after making a huge accomplishment. I'm happy, personally. And, like I already said, you caught me. It startled me a little, but I didn't get hurt," I said, trying to convince that incredibly stubborn boy.

"Just promise that you will tell me if you are hurt or anything's wrong," he said, that gaze not wavering from my face.

"Don't worry, you'll be first on my list of people to tell," I promised.


	18. Chapter 18

Victoria couldn't walk for the longest time after she came back, and something was different about her. She wasn't that innocent, lucky in love, girl that she was before the final triwizard tournament task. That experience changed her completely. She still had that same exact personality that I had grown to like, but the manner in which she moved, acted, talked, etc. was different. She had such a hardness to her.

She was also so much more scared, even if she wasn't letting on to anyone, not even Draco. The only people who actually knew were the girls who shared the dormitory with her. Victoria made all of us promise to keep it to ourselves, and not tell anybody that really should know. You know how we knew how scared and frightened Viki was? Her dreams woke us all up at night.

Nobody was allowed to tell Draco or Harry, but Victoria's nightmares were causing her to wake up in the middle of the night screaming. At least twice a week, she would wake up screaming. Sometimes, it was just panicked screaming, but usually she screamed words. "Help me! Help me, Draco!" she would scream sometimes. It was always Draco's name that she would call-never Harry or anyone else.

Eventually, after Victoria started walking a little, I decided that Draco needed to know. When Victoria was gone, I asked all of the other girls what they thought about telling him. They all agreed with me, and told me that he deserved to know. After all, they said, she woke up screaming _his_ name.

So, after the twentieth time she woke us up, I decided to approach Draco. After potions, a class that Victoria didn't have with us (she had remedial potions instead.), I went up to him. "Draco, I need to talk to you about Victoria," I said.

"If you're going to complain about how she gets special treatment from some of the teachers, I don't want to hear it," he said, walking away towards the library. Victoria must have been there.

"No, that's not it. This is actually something you would want to know," I said.

Draco stopped walking and turned around to face me. "Ok, I'm listening."

I had planned on exactly what I would say, but Draco was, well, scaring me. He was really intimidating. I guess that nearly losing Victoria changed him, too. "Victoria's been having nightmares about the graveyard. Almost every single time she wakes up screaming your name," I said, shifting around uncomfortably.

I expected a long speech or something from him. Instead, his response was very simple. "Thank you for telling me," he said and left, heading towards the library.

After everyone else's potions class on that one day, Draco walked into the library, clearly disturbed about something. "What's bothering you, honey?" I asked him when he sat down next to me on a plush couch.

"Why didn't you tell me that you've been having nightmares?" he asked me.

Of course, that little snitch Hermione… "You worry too much about me. I didn't want you to have another thing to worry about," I said, trying to make it a lesser deal than it had to be.

"Hermione told me that you wake up screaming. You're back in the graveyard, aren't you?" Draco asked, those big beautiful sapphire eyes full of concern.

"It's not important. I wake up, realize I'm fine after a while, and then go back to sleep," I said, shrugging it off.

"Victoria, it is important. You can't pretend that it isn't," Draco said, getting more and more frustrated every second.

"I'm not pretending," I said, although we both knew it was a lie. I honestly don't know what was going through my head at that moment. I guess I was just one who had a hard time admitting weakness.

"_Tori, please,_" he begged.

"Fine, you want the truth? I dream about dying there in the graveyard. The actual prospect of death and the pain doesn't scare me, though. It's the fact that I'll lose you that makes me wake up screaming," I said. At first, I was angry, but as I kept talking, I realized that I was terrified.

Draco just sat there, completely without words. I wasn't sure that he would speak the rest of the day. Luckily, he found his voice. "I wish I could be there every time to comfort you. I hate that I can't," he said.

"I wish you could, too. I think that if you were there, I wouldn't be so scared when I wake up. I would know that the dream wasn't real," I said.

Draco didn't respond, but the expression on his face made it clear that he was thinking very deeply about something. "What about the room of requirement? We could sleep in there every night and you wouldn't have to worry about being alone when you wake up from your nightmares," he suggested.

I rolled my eyes. That had to be the most ridiculous and irresponsible thing ever. "No, seriously. You think that nobody, _ever_, has used the room of requirement for things other than simply a place to hide or practice magic?" Draco said.

"Fine, I'll think about it. But you'll be the one who has to get used to waking up every night to screaming," I said.

"I can handle it. All of the gryffindor girls will appreciate my small sacrifice. Just tell me if you want to, ok?" he asked.

"Ok. But you do know that, even if I do agree to this, we won't be having sex, right?" I asked, just to make sure he didn't have the wrong idea.

"Of course I know that. But you can't blame me for trying," he said, a smile wide on his face. I rolled my eyes and lightly elbowed him.


	19. Chapter 19

I really did think about that offer Draco made. But I didn't know how to respond. I didn't want to be known as the school slut (although it was just one guy) but I actually truly wanted to take Draco's offer. I mean, other than all of the social repercussions, there wasn't any harm in trying. I might sleep better if Draco were there. Or, I might not and the experiment would be a bust. Either way, there wasn't much of a negative.

Still, I had to think of what others would think. If I didn't come back to the gryffindor dorms every night, people would think exactly what they should think. If Harry heard anything about it, he would definitely throw a fit about it and then everyone would call me a slut and get angry at me for betraying Harry, or whatever. Honestly, though, I didn't care. People could think what they wanted to, but I would know the truth.

Still, what if the negative attention made an impact on my life? Well, I guess I just wouldn't let it. I would live in my own reality where Draco made me feel better when I woke up screaming in the middle of the night. My own reality may not have always been the best place to live in, but it was certainly better than the reality of the real world.

But the thing that ultimately made my decision was the night I had my worst dream yet. I had experienced nothing close to it before.

_I was in a misty forest, walking with Draco. It was just after midnight, and the moon shone brightly through the dense trees. My hand was entwined in Draco's, and his eyes were locked on mine. Draco was wearing a handsome black tuxedo, and I was wearing a gold knee length sleeveless silk slip of a dress. We were both barefoot, and the forest floor was a soft powder underneath my toes. _

_ "I love you, Tori," Draco whispered in my ear. Then he started kissing my neck softly. I pushed him away gently and told him no. But I was laughing when I said it. "Why not? You only live once, right?" I found his reasoning rather acceptable. Before long, we were on the ground, still clothed and kissing ferociously. Just before I got a glimpse of that magnificent body of Draco's, he pulled away. "Let's go down to the lake," he suggested. _

_ I wasn't angry that he ruined the moment, which was so unlike me. I was pleased when I realized that. I let Draco take my hand and lead me down to the lake. The moon on the lake was like a mirror. The tall mountains made the scene almost surreal. Draco turned around towards me and started kissing my neck softly again, then grew fiercer with more and more passion. Then, I saw a flash of green light, and felt Draco collapse in my arms, completely dead. I kept screaming his name over and over again, and sobbing._

"Viki! Wake up! It's not real!" Hermione shouted. I woke up to being shook and yelled at by Hermione. I realized that I wasn't just screaming in my dream, that I was screaming aloud-again.

"Draco, he's ok, right? He's in his dorm in Slytherin, right?" I asked her before I could calm down.

Hermione looked confused. "Of course, he's fine," she said. I nodded and calmed down. After a while, Hermione asked for the billionth time that month "Were you back in the graveyard?" I nodded, deciding that the truth wasn't something she deserved, or had the capability to understand.

Everyone offered to talk about my dream, but none of them really cared. All they wanted to do was go back to sleep, and I couldn't blame them. "Listen, guys, I don't think I'll be sleeping in here tomorrow night. I'm going to sleep in the room of requirement with Draco. I think having him there will help me sleep better," I said.

Instead of going all ballistic, like I thought would happen, Hermione was quite supportive of my decision. "I think that's a good idea. You'll definitely sleep better if you have your Prince Charming next to you," she said.

"Prince Charming?" I asked her, confused. She then went into detail how I should know the story Cinderella and blah blah blah. I told her that Draco told it to me when I was in a coma, but I didn't remember Prince Charming. Apparently she was using it as a metaphor for Draco.

I didn't go back to sleep the whole night. That dream freaked me out, so much more than any of the ones before. The next morning, I was practically dead. Draco had to wave his hand in front of my face before I realized he was sitting next to me at breakfast. "Hello, Tori?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I'm just really tired," I said, resting my head on his shoulder. I almost fell asleep right there, despite the fact that he didn't have a pillow of fat on his shoulder. All muscle there.

"You had another one of the nightmares?" he asked. I didn't even need to respond for him to know the answer. "I'm so sorry. Remember, my offer still stands if you want to take it," he said.

"Yeah, I think I will take your offer, actually," I said, struggling to stay awake. It was a lot easier to think about sleep when Draco was next to me and safe. In fact, sleep was an intoxicating power greater than I.

"Well hopefully you can stay awake long enough," he said, laughing.

"Sorry, what?" I asked him. I was practically asleep.

Draco started laughing. "Let's see if Professor Snape has anything to keep you awake," he said and got up. He didn't even ask if I wanted to walk-he just carried me the whole way to the class. I knew that Professor Snape would have something, but I was just too tired to say anything.

Draco and Severus talked for a while, but I barely heard what they were saying. Eventually, Draco set me down on one of the benches in the classroom. "Tori, you need to stay awake for a little longer, ok? Professor Snape is getting a potion for you but you need to stay awake," he said.

A couple of second later, Snape had a vial of potion for me. It took me a whole minute to swallow the 1 fluid ounce of the blue liquid. "Better?" Severus asked. I nodded. I would say that it worked like magic, but it actually _was_ magic, so I suppose that doesn't exactly work. "Why were you so tired?" he asked me.

"I had a nightmare. At first, it was a magnificent dream, but then it turned awful. Someone killed Draco in it, and I woke up being shaken and I was screaming and sobbing. It was terrible," I said.

"Do you have anything that can help with the dreams?" Draco asked.

"Unfortunately, no. Dreams are uncontrollable. If I were you, I'd make sure that you are there every time she wakes up," Severus said, addressing Draco.

Draco and I looked at each other. Was he actually saying what we thought he was? "Do you mean that you think we should sleep together?" Draco asked skeptically.

"Not in the sense that the younger generation uses it, but assuming you both just slept, then I think it would be a wise decision. You need to sleep, Victoria," Severus said.

Well, it was settled then. We said thank you to my favorite teacher, and then went to our first classes. I felt great knowing I had the support of at least two people (three if you count Draco) but I couldn't help but feel really jittery and anxious.


	20. Chapter 20

That night, after dinner (sausage and mashed potatoes), Draco and I headed to the room of requirement. I could walk almost everywhere by now (stairs were still a little tricky) so I was walking next to my boyfriend, holding his hand and swinging my arms. "You excited, Tori?" he asked.

"More nervous, to be honest," I said. Draco then spent the next minute making fun of me for being nervous, but I knew he was just messing with me and trying to get me to relax. He did admit a couple minutes later that he actually thought that the fact that I was nervous was sweet.

We walked past the wall where the door would appear three times. We both agreed to think the same thing 'I want to be somewhere where my dreams aren't nightmares.' When we went in, there was a large bed, a plate of chocolate chip cookies and two glasses of warm milk on a nightstand, two large wardrobes. There was bathroom with a magnificent bath that had lavender scented bubbles drifting on top.

"Well, this is certainly where a person would certainly hope to get a good night's sleep," Draco said and sat down on the huge bed with the blue and brown bedding. "The cookies were a nice touch," he said.

I wasn't paying attention to the platter of cookies-it was the bath that intrigued me the most. The smell of the lavender and the lure of hot water drew me in like a siren. But, I had to be considerate of Draco. "You can take the bath if you want, Tori," he said, his mouth already full with a cookie.

I resisted the urge to laugh. Draco never ceased to amuse me. "You sure? I mean, I don't want you to be bored or anything," I said.

"I've got homework I can do, and cookies I can eat," he said as he was swallowing one of the cookies whole. I still wasn't completely convinced. "Come on, when was the last time you took a long hot bath?" he asked.

"Um, never," I admitted.

"_Go_," he insisted.

"Don't eat all the cookies. I want one, too," I said and walked into the lavender scented bathroom.

Gosh, the bath felt good. The lavender calmed and relaxed both my mind and my muscles. The hot water seemed to cleanse all of my worries away. I'd never had such an amazing experience with water. I let myself be in the water until I thought it had started going cold, which was almost an hour I think.

When I got out of the bath, I wrapped a big fluffy towel around my wet body and braided my hair, which was still dry. Somehow, all of my clothes had disappeared. I knew exactly who was to blame, but I wasn't angry. Embarrassed, maybe. But I wasn't angry. As long as that person didn't use magic to make my towel drop, I wouldn't be angry.

So, I walked out into the room. Draco still had cookies shoved into his mouth and he was working on what looked like a potions essay. He stared at me, eyes wide open. "Draco, if you can't handle me in a towel, then you shouldn't have taken my clothes out of the bathroom," I said, gesturing towards the pile on the bed two feet away from him.

I went to the wardrobes and opened both of them. The one on the left was clearly meant for Draco, considering its contents. The one on the right had everything that I needed. I found a black long sleeve shirt and a pair of sweatpants and a pair of underwear that I decided to wear to bed.

I went back into the bathroom and got changed. When I came back out, Draco was changed into a pair of sweatpants and no shirt. Now it was my turn to stare. Oh, my god, he was just magnificent with his incredibly muscular chest. He was ripped, if you want use the American slang term. "Wow, you're hot," I said.

"Just realizing that, are you?" he asked teasingly. I rolled my eyes and grabbed a cookie off the plate and stuffed it in my mouth. I was surprised that Draco hadn't eaten all of them. "The cookies replenish themselves when the plate is empty," he said.

"How many platefuls of cookies have you eaten?" I asked him.

"That's the tenth plate of cookies," he said gesturing towards the plate. I rolled my eyes and went over to the bed. "You want to go to sleep?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, I'm tired. The potion helped keep my eyes open, but it only has a temporary effect, you know?" I said and got under the covers.

Draco slid in next to me. "Hopefully tonight will be better," he said. I nodded and laid my head down on the pillow. "Do you want to talk about the dreams? You really haven't talked to me that much about them," he said, turning over on his side so he was facing me.

"I guess I have to, right? I mean, you deserve to know. So, I told Professor Snape that last night you were the one who died. Most of the time, I'm in the graveyard and I'm just thinking to myself how I'm going to die and how I'm never going to see you again. Last night, though, it was terrible," I said, tearing up.

Draco's eyes locked onto mine. "What happened?" he asked, urging me to continue talking, but not in a forcing way.

"At first, the dream was magnificent. You and I were down by a lake and we almost, you know." I waited for him to understand what I meant before continuing. "And then, avada kedavra, you were dead. Hermione had to shake me awake and apparently I was sobbing and screaming your name," I explained.

"I'm so sorry. I hope that tonight's better," Draco said.

I moved closer to him. "It will be, now that I've got my Prince Charming next to me," I said.

"You remember Cinderella?" Draco asked me. I told him that Hermione was just explaining to me a couple hours ago about that metaphor. "Gosh, I wish we had turned the lights off," he said. As soon as he said it, it went dark. I laid my head on Draco's chest and went into a blissful sleep.

"Tori, no! Please, no!" was what I woke up to in the middle of the night. Draco was sobbing in his sleep.

"Draco, wake up, it's ok!" I said, gently shaking him.

He woke up, and his light blue eyes were filled with fear and sadness I had never seen before. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," he said.

"Why are you apologizing? I should have known that you would have nightmares too," I said, trying to keep calm, but my voice was shaking.

"No, you shouldn't have. I didn't go through what you did. I should be strong for you, I shouldn't be the thing that wakes you up in the middle of the night," Draco said. The fear in his eyes made it clear that he was still recovering from the dream.

"You almost lost me. You have every right to have nightmares. If the roles were reversed, I would definitely be waking up sobbing once and a while," I said. I pushed some of his hair away from his sweaty face and kissed his lips gently.

"How do I deserve you?" Draco asked me.

"How do I deserve you? You've been with me through everything. You've been my best friend and my lover. The reason why we deserve each other is because the world is beautiful," I explained. To me, it was the only explanation.

"Tell that to the scars on your arms and legs," Draco grumbled.

"The world is cruel sometimes, that's true. But, in the end, it's a truly beautiful place," I said. Despite everything I had been through, I truly believed what I was saying.

"You honestly believe that? After everything?" Draco asked.

"Of course, I do. I mean, I have you, don't I? That, for me, is enough proof that the world is a beautiful place," I said.

"I really don't deserve you, Tori," he said.

"Well, you've got me, so don't complain," I said. I kissed him again and settle back into the position I was in earlier. "My hair's soaked with your sweat. Thanks a lot," I said just before I fell asleep. I could have sworn I felt Draco chuckle a little.


	21. Chapter 21

That next morning, I felt Draco shake me gently. "Tori, it's time to wake up," he said. My eyes opened. "Morning, sweetheart," he said.

"Morning," I said, stretching my arms out. "What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"A little after seven," he said. He gently lifted me off of his chest and set me down on the bed. "I'm going to take a shower, ok? I'll be back in a little while," he said.

I wasn't really comprehending what he was saying, but nodded anyway. I was still groggy with sleep. I think I murmured something under my breath. I don't even remember, to be honest. It's really hard to remember everything you say.

I decided to get dressed while Draco was in the shower. I got dressed in the classic school outfit, which was a sweater in the colors of my house, a black knee length skirt (with leggings for me) and black robes over it. The robes were more like a long jacket sort of thing; they weren't like bathrobes or anything like that. I also had black combat boots with a gold lining on.

Draco came out a couple minutes later, with only a towel around his waist. "Stop staring, Tori. You're embarrassing me," he said, although I knew from his tone and his smile that he was joking. I just rolled my eyes and tossed him a change of clothes. "Oh, so my girlfriend's picking out my clothes now? How… adorable," he said.

"Good choice of words, there. If you said anything else, you would be in trouble," I said, although I wasn't completely serious.

Draco smiled and pulled the shirt I tossed him over his head. "Look away for a sec, will you?" he said. I understood, and looked away for a couple seconds. Draco told me it was ok to look again. He was dressed, in a tight black sleeveless shirt and a pair of black slacks. "I guess you do know how to pick out my clothes well," he said.

"I know what you look good in. Although I know you would look even better without anything," I said as I braided my long dark red hair.

Draco's face was kind of hilarious, I'll admit. "Victoria Potter, are you asking me to take my clothes off?" he asked, kind of mocking.

"Hey, if you want to, I won't object," I said and tied the end of my braid with an elastic band.

"If I take all of my clothes off, will you?" he asked. I actually had to think about that. I was seriously considering it. "Hey, I just think it's amazing that you're even considering it," Draco said, putting on his robes.

"I haven't said no yet!" I protested.

"Well, you aren't going to say yes. Not today, at least," he said.

"You don't know that!"

"Well, are you going to say yes?" he asked.

"You're right, I'm not. I might say yes tonight, though," I said.

"Then tell me that tonight," he said, walking up to me (he was like five feet away), putting his hands on my shoulders, and kissing my forehead. "Love you," he said. I murmured that I loved him. "Ready to face the world?" he asked.

I nodded. I grabbed my scarf and woolen hat and headed out of the room. I put my arm around Draco's waist as we headed to breakfast.

The rumor that I had had sex with Draco spread like wildfire that day. I was called a slut several times to my face, and god knows how many times behind my back. Draco tried to stick by me the whole day, but I had a free period when he had potions. People took that opportunity to approach me and insult me.

"I can't believe that you're such a whore," was one thing that was said to me. I pretended to ignore every last insult, so I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of my anger. But, I think all I did was make them think that I had confirmed their suspicion. I didn't care, though. People were going to think what they wanted to, even if I told them the truth.


	22. Chapter 22

It wasn't fair. Victoria shouldn't have had to deal with this crap that people kept giving her. She didn't deserve it, not after everything that happened to her. And, the rumor wasn't even true. Even if it was, though, she didn't deserve all of the insults. Nobody insulted me. Nobody ever insults the guy, because the guy is expected to be horny or whatever.

I don't get it, personally. The only time a guy ever is shunned for having sex is when he gets the girl pregnant, and all of the blame is put on him. The truth is that it isn't just the guy's fault for that, at least in most cases. And, it's never just the girl's fault for letting themselves have sex. For both cases, both parties have equal fault in the matter.

The point is, I was sick of my girlfriend getting insulted. And, I was sure that the second I went to potions, people would attack her. I knew Victoria wouldn't make a big deal out of it, as she never did. But, sometimes, people need to make big deals out of things, or at least tell someone who can help. And, I knew that there was one person who would listen and try to help.

So, after a potions class, I went up to the man who had become Victoria's father figure. "Professor Snape, can I talk to you? It's about Tori," I said.

Immediately, I saw his face fill with concern. "Of course," he said. He gestured for me to sit down in a chair. "What is it?"

"Well, you know how she and I slept in the room of requirement together?" the teacher nodded. "People have been spreading around that she and I had sex and they've been saying vicious things to her ever since," I explained.

"I thought that might happen. I'm sure you did, too. You guys didn't have sex, though, did you?" Snape asked.

"Of course not. I mean, I'm not saying I haven't suggested it to her on a few occasions, but she always turns me down," I said.

Snape pretended to ignore the last sentence. "Well then you have nothing to be ashamed of. But I promise I'll do all I can to help you out. She doesn't deserve this, especially after everything else," he said.

"Thank you, Professor. I just love her so much, and I hate seeing her hurt. I'd do anything to keep her from that," I said.

Snape nodded. "She's like a daughter to me. I hate seeing her unhappy just as much as you do. And, I just want to thank you for always being there for her. She's so much happier around you," he said. I nodded and got up to leave. "Did it work? Did she sleep better?" Snape asked just before I left.

Instead of explaining the whole story, I decided to say, "Yes, it did." Snape nodded, and I left to go find Victoria. I hoped with all my heart that she was alright.


	23. Chapter 23

It took me a while to find Victoria in the large library. When I did, she was doing homework, just like I knew she would. But her face was streaked with tears. "Are you ok, Tori?" I asked, although I knew it was a stupid question to ask.

I also knew exactly what her response would be. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, trying to force a fake smile onto her face.

"No, you're not," I said, sitting down next to her. I pulled her head close to my chest and stroked her hair. "I'm so sorry, Tori. You don't deserve this after everything that's happened to you," I said.

Victoria lifted up her head. "Neither do you. You've had to deal with all of my crap and now you have to deal with this," she said.

"I don't mind. I just hate seeing you upset," I said.

"I hate seeing you worry about me so much. You shouldn't have to. We shouldn't have to be the way we are. We should be able to be teenagers, and have fun, and be silly and ridiculous. We shouldn't have to worry about waking up in the middle of the night screaming," she said

"I know. I'm sorry that it has to be the way it is. But, would you trade lives with anyone who lived the life you just described?" I asked her.

"No, not for even a second," she admitted.

"And neither would I. I couldn't lose you, even if I never knew you existed," I said.

"I love you so much, Draco. But I don't feel like I deserve you for one second," she said.

"I guess we're both too good for each other, which is part of why we are perfect for each other," I honestly meant it as a complement to her. I know, it sounded pretty bad.

Luckily Victoria didn't take it as me being full of myself. "Well, just thank you for being with me always. I would be dead if it weren't for you," she said.

"What do you mean 'you would be dead if it weren't for me?'" I asked her. I mean, I was the only one who was paying attention after she passed out, but I didn't think that was what she meant. I already knew about the fact that she somehow knew about me before we met, and that it's part of what kept her from going insane as a child. That wasn't what she meant either, though.

"It doesn't matter. The point is that I'm very grateful for you," she said, dismissing the subject, which really annoyed me. But, I wasn't going to try to get any more out of her. Victoria is a stubborn girl, and I knew she didn't want to talk about it. Besides, I knew she would explain it to me eventually. She did, but not for another six months.

"Hey, on another note, Valentine's Day is in a couple weeks. What do you say we do? Shrieking Shack?" I suggested.

"Oh, right, the shrieking shack. We haven't been there in forever. Not even on our anniversary. I wish we could, babe, but I don't think I can go through the whomping willow again. I haven't, you know, since before the graveyard," she said.

It took me a while to figure out what she meant by 'you know' but once I did, I felt like an idiot because it was staring me in the face. Someone had to hit the knob on the tree, and a golden and black snake was the perfect thing to do so. "What about wingardium leviosa?" I suggested.

"I couldn't go through the passageway. I still have to bring the crutches with me everywhere just in case my legs give out," she said.

Now I felt like she was just making excuses. "Are you just trying to tell me that you don't like the shrieking shack? I thought you loved it there," I said.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but there's no heat in there. It's colder than a freezer. I mean, there is some beauty in that, but I prefer not dying of cold," she said.

"Yeah, I suppose I understand that. I'll come up with something. Beware, though, it's going to be sappy as all hell," I said.

"Just like last year," she murmured. I didn't disagree. You know how the last year was. But, god, it did not feel like a year had passed. Lifetimes could have passed and it would have felt shorter.


	24. Chapter 24

That night, Victoria didn't mention the deal that I posed before. I didn't bring it up, because it didn't matter too much to me, and I didn't want to get her upset in any way. Instead, I kept her mind on something else. I kept bringing up different subjects. The only one I actually remember is her eyes. "You know, your eyes are so beautiful. They aren't like yellow gold, they're legitimate gold, like amber and metallic and all of that," I said. We were laying in the large bed in the room of requirement, and her head was on my bare chest.

"Yeah, I've always been really fascinated by them. I don't know how they got that color. Harry has my mum's eyes and my dad's were a hazel green. I don't think anyone in my family has ever had that color," she said.

"That's strange. I'm going to go with the theory that you are just special and extraordinarily beautiful," I said.

She smiled and looked up at me. "That's a wonderful theory," she said. Her eyes did that thing that they always did when she was tired. "Imma go to sleep," she murmured and fell asleep, right there.

Neither of us woke up in the middle of the night, which was a relief to both of us. The fact that we both got a great night's sleep really helped with everything. Victoria took a shower, and I had such a hard time controlling myself. Part of being a guy, and all that crap.

I was able to convince Tori to put on a low v neck long sleeve shirt and a mini skirt (with tights on underneath obviously) because I'm just that awesome. "Eyes on the face, soldier," she said when I saw her after she got dressed.

"Would you forgive me if I said that you are beautiful?" I asked her, hopeful.

"You use that line too much. Get a new one if you want to impress me," she said. I was going to protest, but she was right. "Of course I was right," she said a couple minutes later, "I'm always right."

"Ok, I'm going to protest to that one. Remember when you thought that going out would ruin our friendship? Look where we are now," I said.

"Oh my god, I forgot that I even said that. Thank goodness I was wrong about that. And, thank you so much for being the stubborn ass you are," she said.

We walked to breakfast with our hands laced together. People insulted her and gave her dirty looks, and all I could think is that I couldn't wait until Severus did something about it. I couldn't tell Tori, though. She would find out, inevitably. But, she couldn't find out until after it happened. She would do anything to stop it if she found out any earlier. I didn't care if she was angry at me later, she would understand eventually. If something wasn't done, she would get hurt bad.

Harry came up to us, like I figured he would sooner or later. "Is the rumor true?" he asked angrily, directly addressing Victoria and acting like I wasn't even there.

"It took you this long to approach me? Are you scawered of me, wittle bwother?" Victoria asked in a babying mocking voice, batting her eye lashes all innocently. It was the funniest and most adorable thing ever.

Harry clearly was, by the way he shifted uncomfortably the whole time he spoke. "Of course not," he said nervously. "But, is the rumor true?" he asked, a hostile tone in his voice.

"Calm down, little brother. You don't have to be so…what's the word? Bitter? No, that's not the right word… Vicious? No, that's not it either… How about the word virulent? It's a funny word, isn't it?" Victoria said, annoying her brother enough to cut her off.

"So tell me whether or not the rumor's true," Harry snapped.

"All in good time, _mon petit frère_," she said. I didn't understand how she would know any french if she couldn't read until age eleven. Well, she was brilliant, I suppose._ "_Be patient. So do you think that rancorous is the right word? Personally I think that it's better than malevolent," she said, shrugging.

"So the rumor is true, then," Harry said.

Instead of telling him the truth, my girlfriend decided to be the amazing person she is. "How did you figure that?" she asked Harry.

"You wouldn't be delaying answering that long if you were going to tell me it wasn't true. It would just be a waste of your time," Harry said.

"Or, it would be fun," she said shrugging.

Harry was confused for a long time. Gosh, for the one who ended up killing the Dark Lord, you would think that he had a little more intelligence. Finally, realization dawned. "So it isn't true," he said.

"Of course it isn't true. You honestly think, just because I'm madly in love with this guy, that I would have sex with him at fifteen? I love this guy, but I'm not stupid. He's the one who wants to have sex, not me," she said, making one Harry Potter very uncomfortable.

"_You_ were the one who wanted me to strip naked yesterday morning," I pointed out. After seeing Harry's face, I understood the fun Tori got in making him feel uncomfortable. It was hilarious with a capital h.

"So, you have really just been sleeping every time you've spent the night in the room of requirement?" Harry asked when he gained his composure.

"Yes, Potter. We both get nightmares, and it helps having someone else next to you, especially someone you're deeply in love with," I said, making quote 'googly' eyes at Tori and making Harry uncomfortable.

"Just don't have sex with him, preferably ever," Harry said and started walking away.

"Oh, like you actually care about what happens to your sister," I said loudly.

Harry whipped around. "What the bloody hell did you just say to me?" he asked angrily. He started walking towards me.

I got up. "Draco, please don't," Victoria said, grabbing my arm. I didn't care. This fight was long overdue. The fact that it hadn't happened before was quite surprising, actually. How I wanted to punch that smug little smile off his face for being so cruel to Victoria…

I walked over to him. "You don't care about your sister one bit," I said, looking down at him. I was at least five inches taller than he was. Heck, Tori was over three inches taller than him. Harry Potter was short as hell. JK made it seem like I was short, too, but I wasn't at all. I'm not saying I'm a particularly tall guy, but I sure as hell am not as short as Harry freaking Potter.

"How dare you say that!" he said and punched my face. He thought he was catching me by surprise, or something. He thought I wouldn't fight back, that I wouldn't love to rip his head off. No, that wasn't the case at all. I was ready for war.

Punches were being thrown, insults were flying. Harry kept trying to pin the blame on me, which only got thrown back in his face. He claimed that I was, believe this, using Victoria. "What the hell would I be using her for? SHE'S MY BEST FRIEND," I shouted and punched his face again.

Eventually, I had pinned that git down on the floor and was punching him. Victoria was just staring at us, an expression of pure terror on her face. Eventually, Severus Snape pulled us apart. "Sixty points from gryffindor and fifty points from slytherin," he spat.

"He said I didn't care about my sister," Harry growled.

"Well, in that case, _seventy_ points from gryffindor, Mr. Potter. And, even better for all of you, tonight you're all going to be locked in a classroom and none of you are coming out until your issues are resolved. That includes you, Victoria," Severus said.

"Wait, what?" Victoria asked. She was happy when it was just Harry and I getting punished, but the second she was brought it, the fun ended. "I didn't punch anyone!" she protested.

"Yes, that is true. But you all clearly have some unresolved problems with each other. Now it's only eight o'clock. Go get cleaned up before class starts," Professor Snape said, and left.

I wasn't too happy about the fact that I would be locked in a room with Harry, but his face was really bad. That made me really happy. I was beat up just enough to have that sexy ruggedness that my girlfriend loved. And now, she would go tend my wounds for me. Life was pretty good right now.


	25. Chapter 25

"I'm not very happy with you, you know," Victoria said, dipping a cloth in a potion she had and dabbing my face with it. I didn't say anything. I just stared at my girlfriend. "If you don't say something, I'm going to stop helping you," she said.

"What is there to say?" I asked her.

"Tell me a story. One like Cinderella," she said.

I came up with something quick, altering a few fairy tales that I had heard to fit the mood. "There once was this girl, a princess. Her name was Isabella. Anyway, this girl was locked in a tower for fifteen years. The only company she ever got was from the doctor who was sent to make sure she stayed sane," I said. Victoria was kind of confused, but continued working on cleaning up my face.

"One day, Isabella got tired of being locked in the tower, so she cut off her long dark red hair and made it into a rope to climb down the side of the tower. After she got out, she went to a little town called Winchester. There, she met a handsome cobbler named Lancelot at a fruit stand. They fell in love, but they had to keep it in secret.

"There was a terrible, wicked prince, named James, who just happened to be Isabella's brother, and he despised the cobbler. He would have done anything to keep Isabella from Lancelot. But, their love prevailed in the end, and Isabella and Lancelot were married six months after the day they met. The end."

"That's funny, that sounds an awful lot like the story of my life. Except, I'm far from a princess, and you're far from a cobbler named Lancelot. James does sound an awful lot like Harry, though. James is even Harry's middle name," she said.

"Really? I honestly didn't know that. I just thought it sounded like a great name for a stuck up prince," I said, shrugging.

Victoria nodded. "And, nice touch there with the doctor. But, I have a question. Why name me specifically Isabella?" she asked me.

I was going to say it was simply because I liked that name, but I had another reason, too. "Because that's what I want to name our daughter in the future," I said.

I could have sworn that Victoria was going to start crying right there. Instead, she got this really awed expression on her face, and hugged me. "That is so sweet," she murmured.


	26. Chapter 26

Despite the fact that I was angry at Draco for getting in that fight with my brother, I had to admit something to myself. I was oddly turned on when I saw Draco fighting. He looked sexy as hell punching my brother's face. And after he was done, he was all sweaty and his face was all cut up and oh god, I had the hardest time being angry at him. I really, honestly, oh god, I'm going to sound so terrible, I really wanted to have sex with him at that moment. I didn't tell him that until after I actually did have sex with him, which was after we got engaged.

I had such a hard time not completely turning on the water works after he told me that story and when he said that thing. Oh my god, it was the most beautiful thing ever. I'm sure you don't understand. It's impossible to explain. It was just, gosh I can't even begin to explain. The only way to explain this is iasdfjldkfhaldfhalkhdfoidhjf.

So what, Draco and I had to be locked in a room with my annoying brother? We were going to torture Harry so much and we were going to have fun doing it. So, the second we were dragged into the spell practice room and locked inside with my little brother, Draco and I started making out.

"Viki," I thought I heard Harry say. But, I was busy shoving my tongue down my boyfriend's throat so I didn't really hear him. "Viki," he said a little louder. I heard him that time, but I didn't do anything. "Viki!" he yelled this time.

I turned around and faced him. "What?" I asked him, irritated.

"We can't leave here until we solve our issues. So do you all have something to say?" Harry asked us. He was very irritated that he had to be here, and it was clear by the tone in his voice.

"I've got absolutely nothing to say to you," I said.

"I got everything out when I was beating the crap out of you," Draco said. Harry rolled his eyes, annoyed at the mention of the fight earlier that day. Draco feinted punching Harry and he (Harry) flinched. "Scared, Potter?" he asked.

Instead of saying 'you wish,' Harry just stayed silent. "What about you, little brother? Do you have anything to say?" I asked him.

"I'm not your little brother, Viki. We're twins, remember?" he asked.

"Age is not defined by years. It is measured in experience. So, I actually am your older sister," I said. I'll admit, I was spouting bullshit, but I did think that should have been true. Harry was stumped by my words, so I was happy.

Everybody refused to talk about what we needed to talk about for hours and hours. I was patient, and I had my boyfriend with me. Eventually, though I got tired and fell asleep on one of the wooden benches with Draco.

Being back at the graveyard wasn't exactly my ideal dream. The worst part was that my brother had to hear me screaming in the middle of the night. "Tori, are you ok?" Draco asked when I opened my eyes.

"I'm fine. It wasn't as bad as most of my others," I said. I looked to my left and saw Harry sitting up and staring at me. "Sorry, did I disturb your slumber?" I asked him, putting as much annoyance as I possibly could muster into my voice.

"You get nightmares, too?" Harry murmured.

"Of course. I nearly died," I said.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It's not your fault."

Harry was silent for a while. "Well, now I understand why you sleep with Malfoy every night. It's easier to have good dreams when you have someone next to you," he said after a long time.

"I always feel like you get so much more attention than me. I hate that people always care about you, and that I'm left to die," I murmured. I hated taking the first step, but I had to.

"I don't ask to be flooded with attention," Harry said.

"Yeah, but you don't push it away, either," I said, really quietly, but gaining volume as I talked. "Admit it, you love that you always get attention," I said.

"I didn't get any attention until I came here. My childhood was terrible," Harry said.

"And mine wasn't? Harry, you got attention almost every single day, even if it was bad. I had NOTHING! Absolutely NOTHING! I had to eat fucking RATS just to survive! I had no attention given to me what so ever!" I shouted.

Harry looked over at Draco. "Can you get your girlfriend to calm down?" he asked Draco.

"Not a chance. You keep going, sweetheart," Draco said.

"I nearly went INSANE, Harry. Do you know how that feels? Wondering if you're actually a ghost? If you're real or not?" I asked him. I had to be careful not to mention my animagusness to him, or I would be exploiting a huge secret to him. It was hard not to say anything. He would find out eventually, obviously.

"That was five years ago. Why are you still angry about that?" Harry asked.

"Because you _still_ get more attention than I do. When I came back with you on the port key, everyone crowded around _you_. I was dying, but NO, nobody but Draco gave a crap about that," I said angrily. But then, I was done ranting. I got it all out.

Harry was silent for a long time. I didn't know when he was going to talk again. "Is that all?" he asked after what felt like forever.

Actually, I realized I wasn't. "No, I'm not. I hate that you made me keep my relationship with Draco a secret. I hate that you made me stop being friends with him. I hate that I've always had to hide myself from you. I hate that I had to be ashamed to love because of you," I said. I was calm this time, and didn't yell at all. My voice wasn't even raised at all. Instead, tears were rolling down my face.

Draco put his arm around me and pulled me close. "You guys really love each other, don't you? I can't believe I didn't realize that," Harry said.

"What, you thought we were just trying to annoy you with all the gushy stuff and the making out and everything?" Draco asked, bitterness in his voice.

"Actually, yes, I did. I mean, I knew you guys were friends and all, but I didn't think you actually loved each other," Harry said.

"Being friends with someone isn't all that different from dating them, except there's no sex or gushy feelings or kissy stuff. The love you feel is basically the same, as long as you have the same strength of connection. I loved Draco before I said 'I love you,'" I said.

"I hate that you know her better than I do," Harry said to Draco.

"I give her the time of day, Potter. That's why I know her so well," Draco said.

"Yeah, but she's my twin sister. We were supposed to grow up together and be best friends or rivals or whatever. I feel like I don't even know her," Harry said.

I felt like they thought I wasn't there or something. But, Harry about to learn something big that he needed to know, so I didn't interrupt. "Well, you could get to know her. Try being nice to her, not always trying to take attention away from her. Share the limelight a little, not just with her, but with all of your friends. It might make more people like you," Draco said.

Harry nodded. Then, Draco spoke. "I know you're dying to ask why I hate you so much. Frankly, I think you're a pompous bastard." Harry looked insulted and shocked. Well, what was he expecting? "But, it's not just that. I hate that you act like Tori doesn't matter, that she's just supposed to be a perfect little follower," Draco said. He paused. "But what I hate most about you is that you don't see what an amazing person your sister is."

Harry took in everything that my boyfriend said to him. Then he turned to me. "I'm sorry, Viki. I'll try to be a better brother," he said.

"What, no complaints about me?" I asked him.

"Well…" said Draco. I rolled my eyes and punched him lightly. Draco smiled and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead.

"No, I honestly don't. The only complaint I have is that I don't know much about you. For instance, how the bloody hell do you know French?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing," Draco said.

I considered making up a complete lie, but there was no harm in the truth. "There was a radio in the attic. It was ancient, like thirty years old. I listened to it almost all day every day. There were channels that were in German, French, Italian, and English. I listened to all of them," I explained.

"So you're fluent in four different languages?" Harry asked me.

I was about to say that, no, I wasn't. Technically, if you include parseltongue, I was fluent in five different languages. "_Oui, ja, si, _yes," I said instead.

Draco was just as shocked as Harry. I forgot to mention that. I guess it never really came up. "Say 'the dragon sleeps in the dungeon' in german," Draco told me.

"Der Drache schläft in den Kerker," I said. **Author's Note: Sorry if my translations are off at all. I use google translate for all of the times that Victoria talks in another language. I know it's not always reliable, so sorry!**

"That's brilliant," Draco and Harry said at the same time.

"Well, that's a benefit of being locked in an attic for ten years," I said, smiling. Neither of them took it as a joke, though. "You guys need to loosen up a little," I pouted.

We figured that Snape wouldn't be able to let us out until morning, so we tried to go back to sleep the best we could. But, sleeping on wooden benches wasn't exactly easy, even for me. Even in the attic, there was a couch.

Professor Snape didn't come and unlock the door. Even when our first class ended, we still weren't let out. "This is getting ridiculous. I'm going to kick the door down if I have to," I said and got up. I went over to the door and banged on it really hard. Nothing happened. Then, I realized that I hadn't tried actually turning the doorknob. "It's been open this whole time," I said when the door magically opened.

I'm going to answer a question that would be considered stupid, in my opinion. Why didn't we use Alohomora? Because certain spells don't work on the doors of classrooms at Hogwarts. Students would turn the classroom to mush if given the opportunity. Anyway, let's get back to the story.

Harry and Draco stood up. "Seriously?" Harry said, irritated. "We could have eaten breakfast!"

Draco and I rolled our eyes. "Skipping a meal isn't the end of the world, Harry. You're starting to sound like Ron," I said. Harry ignored me and pushed his way out of the door. "Well that was rude," I muttered.

"Are you going to go straight to class?" Draco asked as we walked out of the door.

"I'm going to change into another set of clothes, and I need to brush my hair. You can come with me, if you want," I said. On the inside, I was begging him to come with me. But I had to conceal, not feel, not let it show.

"Do you want me to come? Or are you just trying to be nice?" Draco asked.

"I really want you to come," I admitted. Well, now they know. Might as well let it go.

Draco put his arm around my shoulder and we started walking towards the room of requirement. "I should have known you weren't just trying to be nice. It's not in your character to be so kind," he said.

We went to class, and we got quite a few laughs for not realizing the door was unlocked. But I knew that if any of those pansy cakes had been in my position, they would have done the exact same thing.


	27. Chapter 27

Potions class was rather embarrassing, but I was glad that Snape said something. It was at the last five minutes of class. "You all have heard certain rumors involving Victoria Potter. I'm here to tell you that those rumors are lies. And Mr. Potter knows especially well that one must not tell lies," he said. Everyone looked at Harry, and he rolled his eyes.

"Are you trying to tell us that that little slut of a girl didn't whore herself around with her boyfriend? We saw Victoria go into the room of requirement with him!" some idiot said. I got up and turned around to face that son of a bitch.

"Mr. Malfoy, calm down. And everyone shut up!" Professor Snape said. I was still standing, a murderous look on my face. "_Sit down, Malfoy!_" Snape exclaimed and pushed me down into my seat. "As all of you have heard, Victoria went through some trauma last year," Snape said.

"Yeah, she tried to commit suicide!" Another douche said. I was ready to punch that bastard myself. But, I had to keep my cool. Also, I was cut off before I could.

"Silence!" Snape shouted. "The rumors about her attempt to commit suicide are also false. The details aren't important, but the third task wasn't just unfortunate for Cedric Diggory." Everyone flinched at the mention of the 17 year old Hufflepuff. I'll admit, it was cruel to mention him.

Professor Snape continued on as if he didn't notice any change in the attitude of his students. "Victoria Potter is traumatized by the event that took place. Nightmares are a common side effect from events similar to the one she experienced. Dreams, unfortunately, cannot be controlled. She would wake up screaming in the middle of the night, according to all of the girls in gryffindor. What would you do if that happened to you?" Snape asked the class.

Everyone was silent for once, which made me feel so incredibly amazing. It also kept me calm enough to keep from punching someone. "Well, you would seek comfort in your best friend. That's all Victoria did. When she couldn't take any more of the nightmares, she sought out help from Mr. Malfoy. They may sleep in the same bed as each other, but they haven't had sex with each other." I was only a little embarrassed at the end. Mostly, I was grateful, though.

"Can I say something?" I asked Professor Snape. He nodded, and I stood up and faced my class. "All of you gryffindor girls knew what was going on, and you let the rumor spread. You didn't even try to stop it. Victoria has been nothing but kind to every single one of you, and I'm ashamed that you didn't do anything," I said. With that, I left.

I didn't seek out my girlfriend. The fact that Snape said something would reach her soon, and she would come find me the second she heard. So, I simply waited.

Sure enough, she found me ten minutes later, sitting on a couch in the library. "What the hell, Draco," she said, not raising her voice but putting as much anger and annoyance as she possibly could into it.

I was calmer than the sea after a storm. "I've got no clue what you're talking about," I said. Obviously, that was a lie.

"Of course you do. You told Severus about the rumor that was being spread around, and then he made a fool out of me in front of everyone in our year and beyond," she said.

"I don't see why you're so mad," I said.

"People told me that I went crying to daddy like a little baby," she said, her voice shaking with anger.

I could have said something completely stupid, but I knew it probably would be the end of my relationship with Victoria. Instead, I said, "I was just trying to help you. I couldn't stand seeing you so upset."

"Well you just made things worse," she said, and started walking away in a huff.

Before she could leave, I got up and stopped her. "Please don't go, Tori. I'm really sorry. I honestly was just trying to help. I promise I'll make it up to you," I said.

"You promise you'll make it up to me?" she asked.

"Of course," I said.

"Ok, I'll stay," she said and sat down next to me again. We worked on our homework for various classes. Victoria helped me with my potions homework, because she's so brilliant at that subject and knows a lot more than I do. Also, Professor Snape doesn't ever give her homework.

The rest of the day happened as it should, except Victoria and I purposefully avoided people. She was sick of everyone, and the fact that I had made things worse only increased her annoyance with people. We went to the room of requirement at the end of the day, and I noticed Tori rubbing her back, like it was sore or something. "Is something wrong with your back?" I asked her.

Victoria shrugged. "Just sleeping on the bench didn't do much good. It's a little sore," she explained and rubbed a certain spot again.

"Lay down on the bed," I told her. She looked at me weirdly. "I was going to give you a back rub," I explained.

Victoria smiled. "Thanks," she said. She took off her robes and laid down on the large bed, her head turned to one side. I slowly lifted up her shirt a little more than midway up her back. Scars criss crossed everywhere, which left a pang of guilt in my heart. She flinched when my hands touched her bare skin. I hesitated, waiting for her to say something. "I'm fine."

"Let me know if I'm hurting you," I said, and worked my hands along her back, putting pressure in certain areas. Boy, she was tense. Can't say I blamed her, though.

"Oh my god, that feels good," she said. I kept rubbing her back, trying to work out all of the many knots. After about half an hour, I had been able to get almost everything out. "You don't have to go any more, if you don't want to," Victoria said.

"I'll stop in a couple minutes. I think I've almost got everything," I said. I finished my work in about ten minutes.

Victoria got up and said, "You are a freaking god, Draco. Thank you so much." She was kind of in a daze, so amazed by my awesomeness.

"It's the least I could do," I said, shrugging.

"I didn't sleep well last night. Can we go to bed early tonight?" she asked.

"Of course," I said.

We got our pajamas on, and went to bed. "I actually like going to bed earlier," Victoria said before she fell asleep.

"Me too, actually," I said.

"Well, that's good," she yawned. "It'll be great when we're living together. We can both go to sleep earlier." Victoria snuggled into my chest and fell asleep.


	28. Chapter 28

Nobody had nightmares, which was a relief to both of us. When I woke up, I saw Draco serving me breakfast in bed. "What's this?" I asked suspiciously.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just figured that you deserved to eat breakfast without all those pansy cakes," Draco said. He was trying to make up for making things worse. That's what it was about. Well, a girl could do worse.

There was a tray of my favorite foods-vanilla yogurt, ripe red strawberries (even though it was January) a butter croissant, and a steaming cup of black tea. "Wow, thank you so much. Where did you get the strawberries?" I asked him.

"The room of requirement is amazing, isn't it? I can get strawberries whenever I want to," Draco said, and he seemed strangely happy about something that small.

"Who are you and what have you done to my boyfriend?" I exclaimed, really freaked out by this sudden strangeness in his attitude.

"I'm really sorry that I messed up. I really was just trying to help. So, I'm trying to make up for my screw up. Breakfast in bed is the least I could do," he said.

"Draco, that's really sweet and all, but you don't have to. I forgive you, sweetheart," I said, putting my hand on his.

"Thank you, but you can still have breakfast in bed," Draco said. I didn't deny him that, and ate the delicious breakfast prepared for me by the room of requirement.

Of course, there was always a flaw in plans. We walked to class together, and Padma Patil came up to me. "Listen, Viki, I'm really sorry for all the awful things I said to you. I didn't know the whole story," she said.

"It's ok, Padma. I probably would have thought the same thing if the roles were reversed," I said. We chatted for a couple more minutes, and then headed in opposite directions.

"I believe that you need to apologize to me. I was right to tell Snape," Draco said. I acted like I didn't understand what he was talking about. "You were all mad at me, when in reality I was right," he clarified. Although, he acted like he was talking to a five year old rather than an equal.

"Oh, right. I was never mad, though. People have been apologizing to me ever since you told Severus about the rumor," I said, smiling happily.

It took Draco a couple seconds to figure out exactly what I meant, but he figured it out eventually. "You pretended to be mad so you could get stuff from me?" he asked, hardly believing it himself.

"Not completely. You need to tell me about these things, preferably before they happen. But at least tell me before I find it out from someone else, ok?" I said.

"I can't believe you, Victoria. You-I was up for like four hours last night because I felt so bad that I had caused more stress for you," he said, frustrated.

"Well, it won't happen again if you tell me earlier. That was the main point. You won't have to go through any of that if you tell me before it happens," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"You should have told me that, rather than making me feel so bad," Draco sulked. I realized that he was right, and it was my turn to feel terrible.

"_Mi dispiace davvero," _I said earnestly.

"Was that 'you are such an ass' in italian?" Draco asked sarcastically.

"Right language, but I didn't say that. I'm really sorry. I should have talked to you about it rather than making you feel really bad," I said.

"Oh, I was never upset. I was just trying to convey the message that you shouldn't be a bitch," Draco said.

Ouch, that stung. But, he wasn't wrong to say that. "Ok, I get the message. I'm sorry. Can we call it even?" I suggested, really hopeful he would agree.

"Of course. If anything like this ever happens again, we really should just talk to each other. Communication is a very important part in any relationship," Draco pointed out.

I agreed with him. For the next few days, nothing important happened. No drama, no nothing. It was really kind of blissful, not having anything going on. I mean, there was a quidditch match. But there always was one. Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin, with Slytherin winning. I rooted for Draco in the stands. Everything felt perfect, for once in my life.


	29. Valentine's Day-5th Year

Valentine's Day came again. Draco was not kidding-from the moment I woke up, it was sappy and cheesy. Rose petals were on the bed, soft and romantic sounding classical music was playing, rose scented candles were lit, and Draco was bringing me a tray of valentine's day themed food. The whole room was decorated in pink and red.

"Draco, you don't have to do this," I murmured, rubbing my eyes.

My beautiful prince came up to me and kissed my forehead. "Of course I do. You mean everything to me," he said.

"I don't need breakfast right now. Can't you please just come back to bed?" I was still groggy from sleep, and I wasn't trying to change that. I really wanted to go back to sleep.

Draco set the tray down on the table next to me and slid in next to me. "Anything for my girl," he said. I put my head down on his chest which I had grown used to using as a pillow. Draco put his hand on my head and began stroking my hair. "I love your hair, Tori. It's so long and it's soft and it's that beautiful deep dark red," he said. I could barely hear him; I just felt his hand in my hair.

I laid in bed with my Draco for another hour before I finally agreed to wake up. Draco helped me sit up and put plenty of pillows behind my head. Everything on the tray was heart shape or similar to. Even the cappuccino had a heart drawn in the foam. I tried the coffee, but I couldn't choke down more than a sip. "What is this stuff?" I asked Draco, who was sitting next to me.

"Interesting… Victoria Potter doesn't like coffee. How did I not know that?" Draco mused to himself. "I'll drink it if you don't want it," he said to me. I gave him the cup. I only liked tea-coffee was too bitter for me.

After taking a sip, Draco's face was covered in foam. "Um, sweetheart, your face," I said. Draco tried to wipe the foam off his mouth, but he kept failing at it. "Let me get it." I used my thumb and wiped the foam from the corner of his mouth. Draco surprised me with a kiss. When we pulled away, I gushed, "I love you so much."

"Love you too, babe. How do I even deserve you?" he asked me.

"You don't," I said with a smile. Draco rolled his eyes. I ate the rest of my breakfast (Draco ate over half of it, which really wasn't romantic at all, but it was expected) and then I went to take a shower. There were different types of shampoo and soap and conditioner and body scrubs, all scented with different flowers (rose was the most featured scent). I chose a jasmine scented shampoo, a rose scented body scrub, and a lavender scented conditioner. I felt like a meadow.

Draco made me wear the most ridiculous outfit that I could have possibly worn. I had to wear a pink sweater with little red hearts on the hem and a red skirt with pink leggings underneath it. I even had red boots to wear with the whole outfit. When I put my outfit on, Draco even had a hard time not laughing. "You look great, Tori," he said. I felt like he was holding back a laugh.

"I look like cupid threw up on me and then tried to wash it out with valentine's day," I said resentfully. I looked so ridiculous, I wouldn't have blamed people for laughing at me if they had seen it.

"Of course, I have an alternative outfit you can wear. But, when we get to where we're going, you can't wear a coat," Draco said. He handed me a black low cut tank top and a pair of black leggings.

"So either make a big deal about my scars or look like cupid threw up on me. You drive a hard bargain, Draco Malfoy," I said, debating which one to choose. It was a very difficult decision, despite the fact that the tank top was really cute.

"You wouldn't be making a big deal about the scars. You're allowed to show them to people other than me," he said.

I sighed. "You don't understand. Those scars, they represent more than just my physical pain, and the knife jabbing into my back and arms and legs. They represent the loss of Cedric Diggory, Voldemort's rise, innocent victims, and so much more. I did nothing to deserve my punishment, except be Harry's sister. You don't have any scars, you don't know what showing them would mean," I explained.

"People aren't that deep, Victoria. They aren't going to think all of that stuff when they see the scars on your shoulders and arms. And, I really am sorry about everything," he said, grabbing my hands lovingly.

I just stood there, thinking for a while. "I actually do have a scar, Tori," Draco said, rolling up his sleeve and showing the thin line on his forearm. "Remember how I got this? It was your fault," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "It was _not_. I told you to make a fool of yourself, not get attacked by a hippogriff."

_Draco and I were in Care of Magical Creatures, standing near the back of the mob of people as Hagrid showed us the hippogriff. "Hey," I said, nudging him. "I dare you to make a fool of yourself."_

_ "Why the hell would I do that?" Draco asked. We were both half whispering, since we weren't supposed to be friends. _

_ I shrugged. "It would make me laugh," I reasoned. _

_ After Harry got off the hippogriff, Draco went up to it and angered it, resulting in a deep scratch on his arm. "Oh my god! It's killed me!" Draco wailed on the ground. Everyone else thought he was serious, but I knew he was faking, and I had to resist laughing. _

_ "Hagrid! Someone needs to take him to the hospital!" Hermione said. _

_ "I'll do it," I said quietly from the back. _

_ "Thanks Victoria," Hagrid said. I helped Draco up from the ground and started walking him to the hospital, which was over a mile from where we were. _

_ "You really are stupid, aren't you Draco?" I asked him when we were far enough away from the group to not be heard. _

_ "You told me to make a fool out of myself. That's what I did," he said, shrugging. He held his arm in one hand, a used-to-be-white cloth wrapped around it. Now it was stained red._

_ "I didn't tell you to get your arm mauled by a hippogriff," I said, annoyed. The cloth wasn't doing much good. I took off my gryffindor tie and started taking off the cloth that was already on his arm. "I think I have some potion in my bag," I said, putting the red stained cloth on the ground and rooting through my cross body brown leather hobo bag. I pulled out a bottle of a potion that would help heal minor wounds. "This should help," I said and put some on the wound. _

_ Draco winced, but allowed me to fix his cut to the best of my ability. After the potion was put on, I used my tie to bind the cut. "Thanks. You're the best, Tori," he said. _

_ I nodded, and we continued walking. "I wish we didn't have to hide," I murmured. Draco didn't hear me._

"So, what'll it be? Cupid puke or tank top?" Draco asked.

I thought for a few seconds about it. "If I don't have to look like cupid threw up on me, then I'll wear the tank top," I said. I went away to change, and came back out to Draco having a bouquet of black gold lilies and red roses. He gave me the flowers. "Thanks, sweetheart," I said.

"You look gorgeous, as usual," he said. He handed me my coat and said, "Just one more touch." He put a lily in my hair and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Perfect," he said, smiling. He gave me a quick kiss and then we left.

We walked down to Hogsmeade, along with fifty thousand other couples who were taking this opportunity to have an awesome and cheesy Valentine's Day. The wind was howling and it was freezing cold, which made a perfect time to stay extremely close to my loved one.

We walked for a long time, until we were finally in the little town of Hogsmeade. Draco led me to Honeyduke's, where he proceeded to buy me as much candy as I could carry. He bought me no chocolate-he knew me that well. Then, the real sappiness started.

"Madam Puddifoot's? Seriously, Draco?" I asked him as we were walking out of Honeyduke's and into the extremely saccharine coffee shop.

"I told you that this Valentine's Day would be sappy as hell," he said, opening the door to the shop.

Immediately, the smell hit me. The place smelled sickly sweeter than candy scented perfume that teenage girls wear for no good reason, in my opinion. It smells terrible, girls. Don't wear it if you're trying to impress a guy. They hate it too.

The next thing that hit me was the sight. Everything was frilly and pink and plush and just god awful. Cherubs were flying around near the low hanging ceiling, throwing pink confetti everywhere. Couples were at little pink plush tables making out or holding hands or making lovey dovey goo goo eyes at each other. "Kill me now, will you?" I muttered low enough for Draco to hear.

"I told you it would be sappy as hell," Draco said and led me over to an empty table. I looked around and saw several couples I knew. My brother and Cho Chang; (who I thought was a cry baby sissy face) Ginny Weasley and Dean Thomas; and a few others I forget the names of.

Madam Puddifoot, a plump and cheery woman wearing all pink and red, with her hair in a fat bun on the top of her head, came over to us. "What can I get you two lovebirds?" she asked in a sugary sweet cheery voice.

I looked over at Draco, an expression saying 'kill me now' on my face. "I'll have a mocha and she'll have black tea with no cream or sugar," Draco said, completely ignoring me. He had a smile on my face, where I had a hard time not vomiting from the insane amount of cupid puke around me.

"You do know I'll never forgive you for this," I stated when the little woman left to get us what we wanted.

"Of course I know that. I know you better than anyone. But, I also know you'll appreciate this in a few years," he assured me.

"I better, or I'm going to make you pay," I promised him.

"I look forward to then," he said, a romantic gleam in his eyes. I shook my head with disbelief but I was smiling. "I'm so lucky that I have you. I wish I could find a way to hold onto you and never let you go."

"You already have me, and I'm not ever leaving you. I can't imagine being with anyone else, and the thought of you being with anyone else makes me want to kill that slut you're with," I said, thinking that I completely ruined the moment with the last line.

Draco laughed. "You don't have to worry about that, sweetheart. You're the only one for me, and you always will be," he promised.

I grabbed his hand underneath the table and squeezed it. "I love you so much, Draco. Thank you for just being you."

"Even if I force you through a crowd of kissy goo goo couples in a cafe that looks like cupid puke?" Draco asked.

"Even then," I said, rolling my eyes inside my mind, "I still love how you go out of your way to bring me the mushiest, corniest Valentine's Day ever, just to annoy me. I love how you know me that well."

"You're spouting bullshit," Draco said.

"You see, you know me well enough to know that I was just lying my ass off. That's what I love. You have always been the one person to give me attention. During the summers, you'd always send me letters, you'd never forget to send me birthday presents on my birthday, even if I couldn't give you anything for yours. And you spent the entirety of last summer sitting next to my bedside, even when I was completely unconscious."

"I wouldn't do that if you didn't mean so much to me. I love being around you, Tori. You remind me that there's so much more to life than what meets the eye. You make me laugh, and you give me something to fight for. Most importantly, though, you aren't afraid to be yourself around me. I know how hard it is for you to be you around others, and I'm happy you can share yourself with me." Sometimes mushy gushy lovey dovey goo goo stuff was the best.

Draco wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. I didn't even realize I was crying. "We are the cutest couple in the world, aren't we?" Draco asked, smiling.

"Absolutely," I agreed.

Our drinks came, and Madam Puddifoot looked at us with such an awed expression of cuteness, it made me want to vomit. So, what I did is stared at her directly in the eye and made my eyes glow weirdly. I could do that on rare occasions, and it freaked people out so much. I loved that I could do that.

Draco laughed when Madam Puddifoot hurried away with a startled look on her face. "You didn't have to do that, you know. Just because she annoyed you, doesn't mean you have to freak her out with your glowing eye thing," he said, but I could tell he was actually very happy about what I did. It always gave him a good laugh when I freaked people out.

"I'm a witch who's just a little more than extraordinary. I might as well use my talents if I've got them," I reasoned, shrugging.

"Good point," Draco said, taking a sip of his chocolate coffee beverage. "How's your tea?" he asked me.

I forgot that I even had it until he asked me. I took a sip-I wished it was a little hotter and that the tea leaves had been steeped a little longer. "It's great," I said. What can I say? I like pleasing people-sometimes. Actually, not very often. I figured that there was no point in complaining about the tea. It was fine, actually; I was just picky, which was really ironic considering what I had to grow up eating.

"You want a sip of mine?" Draco asked, although he should have known it was a ridiculous question.

"Chocolate plus coffee, let me think… No thanks. But you already knew that I would say no, didn't you?" I asked him suspiciously.

"Of course I did. I'm just trying to be polite," he said.

"If you're asking me to offer you my tea, you can forget about it. I love this tea almost as much as I love you," I said, although made it clear that I was half joking.

"Well, that's reassuring," Draco muttered. Then he noticed that I still had my dark red winter coat on. "You still have your coat on," he said.

"Please don't make me take it off. There are so many people here," I begged, although I knew he would be stubborn.

"Most of these people are too busy shoving their tongues down each other's throats to even notice. The rest of them don't care," he said.

I decided not to argue, although I knew that at least one person would care. Harry would definitely notice, and he would stare. So would that bitch Cho Chang. "Fine," I said. I took off my heavy coat, and then took off the one underneath it, revealing my scarred arms and shoulders.

As I predicted, Harry's eyes were immediately drawn to the fat ugly things that tattooed my upper half. Cho Chang looked over right after my idiot brother started staring. "Would you mind? We're trying to have a pleasant Valentine's Day," Draco said to the both of them, giving them the evil eye.

They looked away, and nobody stared for the rest of the time we were there. 'Thank you,' I mouthed to my boyfriend. 'No problem,' he mouthed back, and then smiled. We decided to embrace the atmosphere of the coffee house, and ended up making out a couple minutes later.

Then, Cho had her little fit. "I ttthh thh thought you would underderstannnnd!" she yelled and ran off crying. My first thought wasn't to roll my eyes, surprisingly. I'll admit, the next thing I'm going to say is going to make me sound like such a bitch. I had a really hard time not laughing. She was just so overly dramatic that it was hilarious. But, the look on Harry's face after she left was the most hilarious thing ever.

"Can you stop laughing? I don't see why this is so funny to you, Viki," Harry snapped in my direction. So, maybe it was a more impossible task than just really hard. I couldn't resist laughing. Don't judge me, though. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's laughed at someone else's pain. For example, Voldemort laughed when I was dying. Wow, that really escalated quickly.

"Don't date emotionally traumatized girls, Harry. Especially one's that are as big of drama queens as Cho Chang. Just some advice from your big sister," I said, making sure I annoyed him with the last part.

I could see the annoyance on Harry's face, but he came back with something to try to knock me off of my feet. "You're an emotionally traumatized girl," he said.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose that's a good point. I'm lucky this guy didn't dump me after, you know. I'm lucky as hell to still have him," I said. I didn't bother to look over at Draco-I knew what he would think. "Also," I added, "I'm no drama queen."

"She lost Cedric Diggory," Harry said.

"We all lost him," I retorted. "You and I saw him kick the bucket. Just because he died doesn't give her the right to go all berserk." Everybody looked at me after I said that, astonished that I dared say such a thing. "I'm a monster. Deal with it, okay?" To Draco, I whispered, "Let's go."

Draco nodded, handed me my coats, which I put on, and then we went back into the bitter cold of February. Before I left the coffee shop, I showed the crowd one particular finger-just one. "You didn't have to do that, Tori," Draco said.

"Don't judge me. I'm pissed at everyone for being so stupid. I don't see the big deal about Cedric fucking Diggory. Sure, he died simply because he was there. He went through no pain whatsoever. It was a very peaceful death, compared to most. Besides, if he really wanted to be alive, he could have come back." I accidentally said the last part a bit louder than I intended.

Instead of taking my point, Draco focused on one of the smallest things I said. "What do you mean that he could have come back? He died, end of story," he said, clearly confused.

"Never mind, it's not important," I started walking away quickly.

Draco grabbed my arm. "No, you can't do that. You can't just say things like that and then expect me to drop it," he said angrily.

"It's not important, Draco," I insisted. I couldn't explain it to him-I would sound completely crazy. And, I shouldn't even know this.

"You tell me everything, Tori. Just tell me, please," he said.

"Fine. If a child dies a tragic death, then they have an opportunity to go back, as long as their body's intact. Most people choose not to, because the afterlife is so much better than the real life," I explained.

"How do you know this?" Draco asked.

Big shocker coming-just warning you. "I had the opportunity to go on. I was just stupid enough to want to go back," I said.

Draco's eyes grew bigger than the lights at light houses. (sorry for the bad simile. I've got nothing better.) "You died and came back? When?" he asked.

"About two months into my coma. My heart stopped beating," I explained. I remembered the feeling of dying. It felt as peaceful as falling asleep, except two months before there was a lot of pain.

"I actually remember that. I was holding your hand, and I felt your pulse stop for like twenty seconds. I was freaking out, until it came back," Draco explained. I didn't say anything-nothing needed to be said. We continued walking-we were going back to school to finish up the sappy day. "So why did you come back?" Draco asked.

I was afraid that he would ask that question, so I had already come up with a lie to feed to him. "I was scared of what would happen if I moved on." It was believable to him, and he dropped the subject. Before we got to the castle, I asked Draco, "Will you please not tell anyone about what I told you? Knowledge like that isn't something that people should know."

"Of course. I completely understand. Well, actually, I don't, but I get why you don't want anyone else to know. It would give them false hope every time someone died," Draco said. Yeah, he got the gist of it. I just nodded, and continued walking. "Do you want a back massage when we get back?" he asked.

"Why is it that you keep doing things for me? Can't I do something for you?" I asked him. I felt really bad that he was doing a bunch of things for me, when I wasn't doing anything for him. It was Valentine's Day-didn't he get to have a good time, too? I was supposed to make his day just as great as he made mine.

"There's one thing you can do for me, but I know you won't. You've made it very clear that it isn't going to happen for a while," Draco said, a mischievous grin on his face. I didn't know exactly what he meant right off the bat, but I figured it out very quickly.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, you're right-that's not going to happen. Maybe next year, though," I said, giving him a little smile. I don't know how I was so sure that we would still be together next year, considering I had no clue what would be coming in just a couple months. One thing was for sure, though, my faith in my relationship with Draco would be tested and it wouldn't be very long until that happened.

The rest of the day, after a back massage, Draco and I cuddled. I'm not even kidding, I literally just sat there in Draco's arms, taking in every little thing about him. His face, which seemed completely perfect when I first met him, actually had some flaws. There were little scars, one just above his left eye, one close to his ear, and one on his chin. Even though I just sat there, something that most people would consider boring, it was the best thing ever.


	30. Dractoria

I remember one day, about two months after Valentine's Day, I decided to go back to the gryffindor girls dormitory. I hadn't been there in forever, which was really kind of strange considering all of my things were there. That was the beauty of the room of requirement, I suppose. Everything I could have possibly needed was already there.

When I came in to the dorms, all the girls were sitting on the beds, talking. "So you won't believe what Dractoria did today," Hermione was saying. I didn't know exactly what they were talking about, but it sounded like it was gossip, and I wanted to hear it. So, I decided to stay in the corner, silent.

"Oh my gosh, it was the cutest thing ever. So they were walking to Care of Magical Creatures together, like they always do. Anyway, Victoria was rubbing her arms because you know, the wind was blowing and it was really cold. So, Draco, without even being asked, took off his coat and put it on her. Oh my gosh, it was the cutest thing ever," Hermione gushed.

I still didn't move at all-not even a muscle was out of place. "I love Dractoria. They are the cutest couple ever. Sometimes I just look at them and I wish that I had someone who I could love like that. The other times I look at them, I wish they would just hook up," Lavender said.

That was when I decided to move. "Yeah, sorry, Lavender, that's not going to happen for a while. But it's nice to know Draco's not the only one who wants that," I said. My face should have been beet red, but I wasn't embarrassed at all for some reason. I mean, I was definitely a little weirded out that they actually cared that much about my relationship, but hey, that was their thing, not mine.

Lavender's face, on the other hand, was brighter red than Ariel's (from the little mermaid) hair. "What are you doing here, Viki? Shouldn't you be in the room of requirement with your hot as hell boyfriend?" Ginny taunted, a teasing grin on her face.

"I object that-he's easily much hotter than hell," I said with a smirk. Then I started laughing, like teenage girls do. I sat down on my old bed-the one I hadn't slept on in months.

"We've all missed you, Viki. How's it been?" Hermione asked me.

"Great, despite the fact that I was called a slut many, many times before Professor Snape explained everything, because nobody but you guys knew the whole story," I said, and I was honestly trying to make them all feel a little bit bad, because it all could have been avoided had these girls had my back. But, no, they didn't. They were too selfish and cowardly.

Everyone's face fell, and I knew that I had done my job. I decided to try a different subject to fill the silence. "So, back to you all being strangely obsessed with my relationship with Draco. Um, I just have one question-why?" I asked them.

"We all have seen you and Draco around. You are so adorable together, so in love. Have you guys honestly had a real fight, ever?" Hermione asked me.

I honestly had to think about that, for a long time. I mean, we had little spats, like every one. But none of them lasted more than a few minutes. "Honestly, no. Not a real fight," I said.

"Wow," all of them said at the same time, in complete and utter awe. "You're so lucky that you've found the love of your life at such a young age," Hermione said. Well, in my defense, so did she. I was just lucky enough to realize that he is the love of my life at my young age. I actually blushed when she said what she said, though.

"Have you guys talked about the future, you know, getting married eventually and that kind of thing?" Hermione asked. My cheeks felt really hot. "Seriously, Viki. I mean, you've been dating for over two years. Have you ever talked about the future?" she asked.

"Of course we have. Draco said a couple months ago that, if we weren't so young, that he probably would have proposed to me already." Then I realized it was a stupid thing to say, because of their reaction.

Oh my gosh! That is so adorable! Draco is such a sweetheart! You guys are so adorable! Blah blah blah blah blah. They were gushing their heads off. It was so annoying, but at the same time, it made me feel really good. "So how long have you all been obsessing over my relationship?" I asked them when they were done with their little fit.

Everyone looked at each other, like it was some big secret or something. I was honestly a little trepidatious to find out what the big secret was. Hermione was finally the one who spoke after a long time of just exchanging looks. "We've actually shipped Dractoria since you guys became best friends, in first year. We all thought you were so perfect for each other since the very beginning," Hermione said.

"Shipped? I'm afraid that I don't understand that term," I said.

Oh my god, it was like mental attack of the fangirls right then and there. They all went all psycho on me and looked like they were trying to explode my brain with their mind. Here's something that you readers probably know-don't act like an idiot in front of fangirls. "Shipping basically means that you take two people who you think should be together and then obsess and try to get them to be together. Of course, it's much more complicated than that," Hermione said.

Ok, I was a little freaked out, but oh well. They could be psychos, if they wanted to be. That wasn't my concern, I figured. As long as they didn't make team Dractoria t-shirts, I was okay. The girls explained to me how they thought it wouldn't happen after Harry had made me stop being friends with Draco. They'd almost given up hope on me, until I started being more secretive than I usually was.

Once I came back from my first date at the shrieking shack, they knew it was very possible, and they started obsessing over it even more. Well, it certainly explained why they were always trying so hard to get information out of me when I was thirteen. Still, those girls kind of freaked me out. I had to try really hard to leave, and it took a long time to get out of there.

I walked to the room of requirement alone, and met Draco inside. He looked really worried. "Where have you been? I've been so worried that something might have happened to you," he said, a quarter angry, a quarter relieved, and half concerned.

"Those girls won't stop talking. It took me forever to get out of there," I said, setting my bag down on the bed. Draco's eyes were still staring at me intensely. I went over to him and grabbed both of his hands. "I'm okay, Draco. You need to stop worrying so much about me," I said, making sure my golden eyes tore a hole in his soul.

"Don't look at me like that. Your eyes always make my heart melt when you look at me that way," Draco pleaded, and I knew that he would give in if I just kept it up a little bit longer. The heart meltingness of my eyes increased. "Ok, I give up. I'll try not to worry so much about you-promise. You can't blame me if I don't succeed, though," he said.

"Just try, okay?" I pleaded.

"Okay," he promised.


	31. Chapter 31

OWL testing came so much faster than I thought it would. In the last couple weeks, Draco and I were studying our asses off. I wasn't all that worried about most of my classes, not even Transfiguration. Potions, I knew, would be a slam dunk for sure. The only class I was at all concerned about was Care of Magical Creatures. It's not that I didn't like Hagrid, but he was not a good teacher.

About a week before the exams, all fifth year gryffindors had a talk with Professor McGonagal about our future careers. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all wanted to be Aurors, which I thought was a suitable career for them. Except for maybe Ron, as he didn't seem to have the mental quickness of a dark wizard catcher. But, I had no clue what I wanted to be. An Auror didn't seem like my ideal career, so I never really considered it.

When it was my turn (I was after Harry, since it went by alphabetical order), I wasn't sure what to think. I sat down in Professor McGonagal's office, kind of nervous. It was, after all, my entire future. The fact that Draco had a ton of money made my stomach feel a little better. Still, I wanted to have a job. Sitting around all day didn't sound like an ideal future to me, either.

"So, Victoria, do you have any particular interest in mind?" I was asked first off. I shrugged and told her that I really didn't have much of an idea. "Your brother told me that you are fluent in three other languages besides English. Have you ever considered being a foreign correspondent for a company? You would get to travel a lot," the Professor suggested.

"Honestly, that sounds like an awful job. I'd way rather do something else," I said, although I had no clue what.

"I thought you'd might say that. I think being a foreign correspondent would waste your abilities. You are exceptionally talented at all of your subjects, especially potions. Of course, the only other student besides you who knows that is Mr. Malfoy," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, I love potions. It's always been my favorite subject. Severus, er, Professor Snape, said that next year I would be taking an independent study course for potions, that I could do whatever I wanted. He said that I've already gone through NEWT level potions, and that theres no more I can learn after this year," I explained.

"Yes, I heard about that. I also know that you're an animagus, which would be a great advantage if you decided to become an auror," McGonagall reasoned.

"Honestly, I don't want to be an auror. I've thought about being one, but it's never caught my interest," I admitted.

"Ok, that narrows it down a little. What do you think about being a healer?" Professor McGonagall asked me.

I had never thought about being a healer before, but when she told me that it was a possibility, I realized that it was a brilliant idea. I loved the idea of helping people, and using all of my magic skills in order to do so. "I think that that would be an amazing thing to do with my life," I said after thinking it through.

"Great, then it's all settled. You must get an exceeds exceptions on your Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, and Charms OWLs. Although, I am sure that this will be no trouble for you." With that, I was asked to leave.

"So, Viki, what are you going for?" Hermione asked me the second I got out.

Of course, like almost always, I considered lying. But, like a lot of the time, I decided that I didn't need to. "I think I'm going to try to be a healer," I said.

Hermione smirked, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. But, I also knew how smart I was, unlike her. "Well, I'm going to go study for the OWLs," Hermione said. With that, she left.

Draco and I met up in the library, both of us with news on our future jobs. "I think I'm going to be a healer," I said to him.

A smile lit up his face. "That's great! I think you'll be amazing at that. Probably better than me," he said. Wait, was he saying what I thought he was saying? "Yeah, that's going to be my career, too." He was smiling, and I felt just so amazingly happy. I could already see the future.

"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, St. Mungo's top healers. I can see it now," I said. But, there was a certain sadness to everything that we were saying. We knew very well that this might not happen. Once Voldemort rose again, war became inevitable. The only question was when. And, I knew Draco would be forced to be on the other side. I just tried not to think about it.

I helped Draco study for the potions OWL. All the other classes, he could get into NEWT level with an Exceeds Expectations. Potions, on the other hand, required an Outstanding. I wanted him so badly to be a healer with me, that I didn't mind looking over something I already knew.

OWLs came, and I was so overwhelmed. Everything about the OWLs made me want to throw up-there was so much pressure riding on these exams. What if I messed up? I mean, I knew that I would be fine in the long run, but I wouldn't get to where I wanted to be. It seemed ridiculous, considering everything that had happened-Voldemort, nearly (well, not exactly nearly) dying, everything. A stupid set of exams shouldn't have mattered so much in comparison to everything, but they did.

Like most people, I felt like I did terribly on the tests. Draco kept trying to tell me that I did fine, and that I worry too much. I told him that he was a hypocrite, and he didn't disagree.

Then, Sirius died. I really didn't know him very well, considering I had spent the whole summer and more in St. Mungo's. Even when I went to Grimmauld Place for christmas, I didn't spend much time with him. I was awake almost the whole two weeks, because I couldn't sleep without Draco. I remembered one time, though, that I had talked to Sirius.

_It was at midnight, and I couldn't sleep. I decided to take a walk around the grim, old house. It was easy to sneak out of the room I shared with Ginny and Hermione-they could sleep almost everywhere. I walked by several rooms, and I saw Sirius sitting in one of them. I passed right by him, and I had to do a double take. _

_ "Sirius?" I asked out to the dark figure. _

_ "Oh, hello Victoria. You can't sleep either?" he asked. _

_ I walked into the room, and shrugged. "I've had a nearly impossible time sleeping ever since the whole thing at the graveyard," I said. _

_ "Yeah, I can imagine. I don't see how Harry can sleep. You'd think that he'd be almost as traumatized as you," Sirius said. I was happy that he didn't say that Harry should be more so than I. Nobody understood that what happened to me was so much worse. (Well, Draco obviously did, but he doesn't really count) _

_ "He just got the cruciatus curse. He was lucky. It's like the poison on that knife was engineered to cause specifically me excruciating pain. The torture curse wasn't nearly as terrible," I explained. _

_ Sirius nodded. I was still just standing there. "Sit," Sirius offered, patting a corner of the bed he was sitting on. "Your boyfriend-he's the only thing keeping you alive, isn't he?" I was going to ask how in hell he knew that, but I was interrupted before I could. "I see the way you look at everyone here. It's like their mere existence exhausts you. Whenever you talk about Draco, though, you perk up and it's like you have so much to live for." _

_ How was he so spot on? Nobody else, besides Draco and maybe Severus, paid enough attention to get anything close to that. "Well, you aren't wrong. Draco… he just gets me and he gives me attention. I feel like I mean something when I'm around him. Everyone else treats me like I don't matter at all," I explained. _

_ "You don't fit in with all of them. You weren't brought up the same way as all of them. Even though Harry was bullied by your cousin, and was treated badly, at least he got something. You were all alone. You had nothing, except for the doctor and muggle radio stations." Sirius got it. I didn't know how, but he understood completely. _

_ I didn't know what to say. "If it means anything, Victoria, I think that Draco is the best thing that could have ever happened to you. I don't know too much about him, but I think both of you really needed each other," Sirius said, putting his hand on my shoulder. _

_ "Thanks. Did you ever fall in love, Sirius?" I asked him._

_ I realized that he was an awful lot like me. He always questioned himself-whether he should lie or not. And the only time he ever asked himself that question was when he was revealing something about himself. And, just like me, he usually decided that the truth wasn't going to harm anyone. "Yes, I did. I was young, about seventeen. A girl named Marcia MacAdams caught my eye. We went out a couple times, and I was completely in love with her. But, it didn't last. She was a muggle born, and my parents, even though I had nothing to do with them, pushed her away." _

_ "I'm sorry, Sirius. I wish things had happened differently," I said. I really did feel for him, honestly. I was surprised as hell that Draco's parents weren't able to drive me away. Granted, I was as stubborn as all hell, and so was Draco. _

_ Sirius looked off into the distant. I wasn't sure where he was looking, but I went to the universe I always went to when there was nothing to say, or when I was simply bored. "It's strange, being an animagus. Sometimes when you're in your animal form, it's like there's more animal than you in there," Sirius mused. I didn't even realize he was talking until he was almost done. _

_ "Yeah, that's definitely true," I agreed. Then, I realized I had just given a huge part of myself away. "Um, what am I saying? I don't know what it's like to be an animagus." normally I'm amazing at lying, but I was terrible this time. _

_ "It's ok. I already knew. I can always spot someone who's seen through the eyes of an animal. It makes you wiser, somehow. And, don't worry, I won't tell your brother," Sirius said._

_ "I just can't have anyone know about me. I can't be shown to them as anything other than ordinary."_

_ "You are such an extraordinary girl, though. Doesn't it ever bother you that people can't see that?" he asked. _

_ "As long as the people who matter most to me know, I don't need anyone else's eyes to be open to the truth," I reasoned. _

_ Sirius didn't really seem to understand, and I can't say I blamed him. For a lot of people, what I said sounded like a bunch of gibberish. Everybody loves attention, and everybody loves having everybody know how extraordinary they are. I'll admit, I loved having attention, and I loved it when people knew how extraordinary I was. But, I didn't love the attention coming from everyone. It needed to come from the people who mattered most to me. Harry wasn't one of those people. _

_ "I was never like you when I was your age. I had more of your brother's personality. I loved people knowing exactly how amazing I was. I mean, when I became an animagus, I was forced to keep a secret, but I had three friends who knew," Sirius explained. _

_ "I've got Draco. That's all I need," I said curtly. _

_ Sirius got a distant look again. Then, he came back into the present. "What is your animal form?" he asked. _

_ "Golden black cobra," I said. _

_ "Cunning and disguised strength. Seems to sum you up pretty well," Sirius mused. _

_ "Yeah, Draco said the same thing when he found out." I couldn't go two seconds without thinking about Draco, it seemed. He always has been the most important person in my life, even if I went eleven years without knowing him. _

_ "Don't take this the wrong way, but have you ever wondered what would happen if you and Draco broke up?" Sirius asked. My eyes must have been the dead give away that I was angry, because I didn't move anything but my eyes. "Just hypothetically speaking," Sirius said. _

_ "I haven't ever thought about that, to be honest." I didn't want to think about it, so I didn't. The thought of it was too difficult for me to bear. _

_ "Really? That's strange," Sirius mused. _

_ "Why?" I snapped. I mean, I obviously knew why, but I just hated that subject being brought up. _

_ "It's no secret that war's coming, Viki. It's also no secret that you and Draco are going to be on opposite sides. That kind of thing breaks people up, if you weren't aware," Sirius warned. _

_ I was silent for a while. Thinking, sometimes, was the hardest thing you could do. "I hate thinking that there's even a small possibility that my relationship could end. I'll do almost anything just to make sure that it doesn't happen. Draco's not just my boyfriend-he's my best friend," I explained. _

_ "You still aren't answering the question. I know this is hard for you, but you really should think of what would happen, because, face it, it's likely to happen," Sirius said. I wondered if he could have been any harsher. _

_ It was like a knife to my heart. A stab of the cruel truth was the cruelest of all."Don't say that. I'm going to do all I can to make sure that it doesn't happen," I vowed. _

_ "When Draco becomes a death eater, will you be able to forgive him?" Sirius asked. _

_ My immediate response was yes, but I really had to think about it. "I can't answer that question yet," I said. I thought about that question for a long time after, until I was one hundred percent sure of my answer. _

_ "So, let me ask you one more time, what will you do if you and Draco break up?" Sirius asked, a certain determination in his voice. _

_ My jaw clenched as I thought about it. "I'll have nothing left to live for." I know, I sounded completely stupid and dramatic, but I wasn't exaggerating or dramatizing at all. I really had nothing to live for except him. It would be a long time before I did. _

_ "I do think that you honestly believe that, but I think that it's the stupidest thing in the world. There's got to me more to live for than your boyfriend. The world is such a beautiful place, Victoria. You just have to look around and lower your expectations," Sirius said, being all wise and profound on me. _

_ "I'll try," I promised. The room was silent for a while. "If I end up breaking up with Draco, you don't have to worry about me committing suicide. I'd just try to do everything I could to get him back," I told him. With that, I left the room and went back into my bedroom. I had a sleepless night, but I had a lot of time to think about that one question. _

By the time summer came around, I was sure of my answer. The last day of fifth year was emotional, I'll admit. "I'm going to miss you so much," I said to Draco when we got off the train. We were waiting in the muggle area of the station, and Draco refused to leave until Uncle Vernon got there.

"I'll miss you, too. More than anything. Christmas break was almost impossible for me, and it was barely three weeks. I can't imagine going three months without seeing you," he said, and then kissed my hand.

"Write to me, ok? If I have some form of contact with you, I might not go insane," I joked. I mean, I wasn't kidding about the fact that I really wanted him to write to me.

"I promise I'll write to you. Maybe you can come over to my house sometime," he suggested.

"If I could, which I would love to do, how would I even get there?" I asked him.

"I'll figure it out, and I'll send you a letter. But, if you want to come over, I'll make sure that it happens," he promised.

"Well, I definitely do. I can't go three months without seeing you, so tell me as soon as you can," I said. Harry was calling my name; it was time to go. "I've got to go," I said sadly.

"I'll help you with your things," Draco said. He insisted on taking all of my things to the car where Uncle Vernon was, and he put them in the trunk. I didn't even get to help-and believe me, I tried. When all of my things were in the car, I opened the door, and was about to get in, but I was stopped. Draco and I shared a long, passionate kiss. I didn't even care that a bunch of people were watching. It was a great way to say goodbye-for now.


	32. A letter to Victoria

_Dear Victoria,_

_ I miss you. I hate that we can't be together right now. Life without you seems almost pointless. I'm sorry if this whole letter is a big ball of sappiness, which I know you aren't a huge fan of. I just don't know how else I'm going to express my feelings. I suppose I'm just a sappy kind of guy. _

_ I haven't gotten any sleep since that last night at Hogwarts. Sleeping is impossible without you next to me. Nightmares keep coming. All of them are about losing you, a thought I cannot bear. _

_ I love getting every single one of your letters. Each time I read, I feel like you're right there next to me. I just wish that I could contact you faster. Letters take two or three days to get to you, and then it takes another couple days to get back to me. It's slow as hell. But, like you said already, it makes us appreciate every letter all the more. _

_ I haven't really been doing anything since I last talked to you. Ministry workers keep coming in my house and scoping it over, looking for a hint of dark magic. I hate that my father is a death eater. But, I am relieved that he is gone. I am glad that he is locked in askaban, far away from me. _

_ I'm still trying to figure out a way to get you over here. It's difficult with all of the ministry workers walking around my house like they own the place. Once they leave, though, I will make sure to do anything I can to see you. I can't believe that it's only been just over a month and a half since I've seen you. It feels like it's been years._

_ Until I see you again, know I love you with all of my heart. Also, please remember to eat. Don't wait until you start to starve before getting something. Make those muggles give you food, if you need to. I worry about you. Eating rats can't be good for you. And, just one last thing. Try to get some sleep. I know I sound like a hypocrite, and I completely am. Just try, please. Resting, at the very least, will do you good. _

_I love you._

_ Draco_

I had read the letter a thousand times, and yet I still read it again. I wrote back almost immediately, telling him the same old things. Nothing had happened to me, that I missed him, that I loved him, the usual. I felt like, after the fifth time, there wasn't anything I could say that I hadn't already.

Summer really was hell for me. I didn't sleep a single night. Every single time I fell asleep for even a couple seconds, I woke up screaming. The Dursleys could hear me, too, and they always got really angry. So, I just resolved with keeping myself awake all night. I learned to survive without sleep for a month. It was terrible, but I was able to do it. I just wished that Draco was with me. I couldn't wait to see him again.


	33. Chapter 33

About two weeks after my dad was arrested, my mother received a letter. It was from him-the Dark Lord. My mother read it with shaking hands and tears rolled down her face. When she finished reading it, she started bawling. I went over to her and tried to comfort her, and I took the letter from her shaking hands. My heart stopped when I realized what it was about. My first thought was about my lovely Victoria. I had already sent the letter to her about how she would get here, and it was only a matter of time before she received it.

It wasn't fair to Victoria, that she didn't know before she came. I wish I could have done things differently, that I could have told her before she came over. But, what was done was done. I was scared to death of when she did find out, and I knew that it wouldn't be long until I was forced to tell her.

The Dark Lord had requested-well, more demanded-that I come-alone-to a secret location (the campsite where the Quidditch World Cup was two years ago). Apparently there was a special mission for me, that only I could do. I would be inducted as a 'proper member of society' which meant that I would be getting a Dark Mark. The mere thought of it made me shudder.

On July 18th, I took a portkey to the campsite. My mother insisted on coming with me, but I made sure she didn't. I didn't want to see what happened if she came. I knew that the Dark Lord wouldn't be very pleased, and I was concerned for her life.

The Dark Lord was waiting for me, in the shadows, as if he was one of them. When I approached him, he looked happy, somehow. The sick, twisted version of happy, but happy none the less. "Draco!" he said, excited. He came up to me, and gave me a strained hug. I was scared to hell. "Welcome," Voldemort said. He looked at me the way a proud father looked at the fattened pigs he raised.

I wasn't sure what to say. Fear didn't make me do stupid things, like it did for so many people. It made me freeze the majority of the time. Of course, I eventually learned to use fear as a motivator to do amazing things. But, I froze this time. "Oh, of course you'll be wanting the special thing that binds us all together," he was so excited and giddy that it made my stomach churn with disgust. How could he be so incredibly happy when he was about to ruin my life? Well, he was Voldemort.

I felt a searing, burning sensation on my left arm. I looked down and saw a glowing red hot impression of the Dark Mark. A few seconds later, it turned black. "Now you are a proper member of society." I almost scoffed, but that could have resulted in the cruciatus curse. "You _must_ be wondering what your special mission is. I assure you, you won't be disappointed," Voldemort said, as if he was waiting for the perfect moment to tell me. He was building up tension, and soon he was going to pop the bubble and give me a horrible blast of reality.

"Just tell me what it is. Waiting's not going to do anyone any good," I snapped. I didn't like waiting, especially when the only thing I was waiting for was a cruel, tortured, knife in my gut.

"Impatient, I see. You and I are much alike. Waiting just seems pointless, don't you think? Might as well reap the reward right away." I was getting a little braver, so I didn't move. "Your mission. Kill Dumbledore by the end of the school year," Voldemort said.

It was an impossible task. Voldemort himself hadn't succeeded, and he'd had years. "What happens if I can't?" I asked. I knew that it wouldn't be pleasant, but I wanted to know the specifics.

"Your whole family will die, and so will you," I thought that it was the end. I could live with that (well, I'd be dead, but you get the point). Then, on a whim, Voldemort added something I could not bear. "Oh, and your precious little Victoria will die as well. Gives you a little more motivation, doesn't it?" Voldemort asked.

"But you're going to kill her anyway, aren't you?" I asked him. I was fearful of that, but it would mean that I had less motivation.

"Oh, goodness no. I do not wish her dead. She's a fighter, that girl. Most people don't see her true potential, but you and I know exactly how special she is." How did he, of all people know that? Victoria never was anywhere close to him-I made sure of that. Was it really just a guess? I didn't think that he could have been that spot on if it was a simple guess.

I was positive that Voldemort was telling the truth that he did not wish her dead. I think it was one of the first times he didn't lie about wanting to keep someone alive. "So, either lose Victoria by killing Dumbledore, or lose her by not," I murmured to myself.

"You may not lose Victoria if you kill Dumbledore. It is possible that you underestimate her love for you," Voldemort said. With that, he disapparated. I didn't know if he was right, but I knew I would find out sooner than later.

My mother came to get me about ten minutes later. I had just enough time to think things through. I would tell Victoria when she came over in a couple days. I'd understand if she wanted to leave right then, and I would understand if she hated me forever. I also started preparing myself for heartbreak. I never even considered the possibility that she'd forgive me, because it was completely ridiculous. There was no way in hell that she would want to stay with me after something that bad.


	34. The Knight Bus and The First Day

_Take the knight bus. When you get to the stop, walk fifteen minutes up the road._

_Draco_

That was all I had to go on. That was the entire letter. I just hoped that Draco had figured out all of the details. Knowing him, though, I was sure he had. The second I got the letter, I packed all of my things into a bag that had an expansion charm on it, so it was bigger on the inside. The only things I didn't bother to bring were all of my school stuff, including most of my clothes. So, in actuality, I didn't bring that much.

I wrote a note to Harry, who had no clue that I would be gone. I didn't bother to tell him, because I thought he might have tried to stop me. Even if he didn't, I knew he would judge me. I didn't want to have to go through him giving me a disappointed look. The note read:

_Harry_

_ I've gone to Draco's for a couple days. I'll meet you at the Weasleys' house before our birthday. I haven't slept for the past month, and I really need to see Draco. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Oh, and would you please take all of my things with you? Well, I'm not giving you much of a choice, am I? Sorry about that. Thanks._

_Victoria_

Later that night, I put my black leather backpack on, and transformed into my animal form. I was able to transform with clothes, which was very handy for me. It helped me sneak out much easier. If I had had to climb out in my regular form, I would have made so much noise

and I would have definitely been caught.

I slithered out of the attic window and down the side of the house. I made sure I was a good distance from the house before I morphed back into myself. I held out my wand and simply waited for the knight bus to come around. It took about five minutes.

I walked onto the bus and looked at the conductor of the bus. What had happened to Stan Shunpike? Then I remembered-he was arrested for being a Death Eater. It seemed like everyone was being arrested these days. Or killed-people were going missing every day. "Where you off to?" the conductor asked. He was about twenty years old, and he was stern looking. His hair was coal black and his eyes were a dark shade of brown. It was a very odd contrast to his whiter than milk skin.

"Um, my name's Victoria Potter." I was going to say more, but I was interrupted.

"Oh, you've already been paid for. You're going to Malfoy Manor, right?" I nodded. "Okay, we should be getting there at about one tomorrow afternoon. 'Fraid we can't get any closer than a mile from that place. Private property an' all," the man said.

I sat down on the bed I was given, even though I knew there was no way in hell I'd be sleeping. It wasn't just because I couldn't sleep-it didn't seem at all like the ideal place to sleep. I could have sworn that there were maggots and lice infesting the bed. My attic may have not been the ideal place to live and sleep, but there were never any bugs in my couch. I made sure of that.

I always brought a notebook with me when I knew I would be going on a long trip. Sometimes, I just needed a place to get the things out of my head. Sometimes formulas for a new potion came into my mind, or sometimes they were jokes. Most of the time when I tried the joke a few days later, it failed miserably. Sometimes, though, I would succeed in making Draco laugh his head off.

But, most of the time, I simply wrote. There wasn't any real purpose-I was just trying to get my mind off things. I would write stories, poetry, songs sometimes. It was a lot of fun, and it really transported me to another world-a better one.

I once wrote about a girl who was about fourteen years old. She was a muggle and completely oblivious to the war going on. Still, she wished she was somewhere else. I bet she would have even traded places with me if she had the chance. That's how desperate she was. I related to her, I think.

Still, this girl had basically nothing to keep her from going anywhere. Yet she still stayed. I have Draco, and that's kept me from running away forever. I haven't even considered running away because of him.

I thought that the bus ride would never end. Every time we made a stop, I got a little hopeful, but every single time it was just another disappointment. I almost considered trying to sleep near the end of the ride. But, I knew that nightmares would come and wake me up if maggots didn't.

It was three in the afternoon when I finally arrived at my stop. Two hours late, which sucked. First, I had to wait a month and a half. Then, I was forced to wait an extra two hours. Doesn't seem big in the long scheme of things, but it pissed me off bad. "Sorry for the delay, m'am," the conductor said when I finally got off the bus.

I was on a road that dead ended in a couple feet. _Great, _I thought, _I'm at the wrong place_. But, as I looked at the dead end, I saw a little dirt trail head into the woods. I decided to follow it. I figured that there wasn't any harm in it, and it might be the way to Draco's. The only risk was that it would lead to a death eater, and that it could be a trap. After thinking about that possibility, though, I realized that it was a dumb thing to think. If Voldy wanted me dead, he would have killed me already.

After I walked for fifteen minutes on the trail, I emerged out of the woods and saw a large black iron gate. Beyond that was a house so big, it seemed like a castle. Everything was gaunt and grey, and it was rather creepy, to be honest. I was one hundred percent sure that it was Malfoy Manor.

I was kind of just stuck there, at the gate. Then, I realized that there was a wide space between the bars on the gate. So, I morphed into my animal form and slithered through. I slithered all the way to the large doors. I was going to change back into my human form but I decided not to_. _I felt like being a little more , I searched around and found the room that I knew was Draco's. I had surprisingly good eyesight-it closer resembled a hawk than a snake. I knew that it was his, because there was a picture of me and him on his bedside table. Also, Draco was in there.

So, I slithered up the side of the house and went to the balcony that went off Draco's room. I transformed back into my original form and knocked on the glass door that separated the room from the balcony. Oh my god, you should have seen Draco's face. At first, he was completely confused on how someone could be knocking on his balcony door. Then, when he saw me, his face lit up.

He quickly unlocked the door and let me in. "Why didn't you just go to the front door?" he asked me, a smile bright on his face. I wished that it never left.

"Front doors are so cliche," I said, coming in.

"I'm sorry, I would have had the gate open, but I didn't think that you'd get here so fast," he apologized.

"It's not a big deal. I'm just so happy to see you," I said, trying to be upbeat and everything because I loved him so much. But, I wasn't completely happy or upbeat, despite the fact that I saw him. Something was wrong; I could see it in Draco's eyes. I had tried to make him happy, but with every word, Draco just got sadder and sadder. "What's wrong?" I asked him. I wasn't being gentle or anything. I just wanted the truth, and I sounded a little irritated when I asked him what could have been wrong.

At first, Draco tried to lie his way out of telling me the truth-or at least delay it. "Nothing's wrong, sweetheart. Why would you think that?" he asked me.

I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to listen to his crap-not now. "I can see it in your eyes, Draco. I know you better than I know myself. Something is wrong, and you need to tell me what it is," I demanded. I wasn't trying to be rude or anything, but I hated waiting for bad news.

Draco sighed. "There's no use in lying to you, is there? You always know," he said. I nodded. Draco and I sat down on the edge of his king size bed with the silver grey and emerald green silk bedding. Before he said anything, Draco rolled up the sleeve covering his left arm, and my suspicions were confirmed.

Draco told me the whole story, with tears rolling down his cheeks. I listened the whole time, not saying anything or reacting in any way at all. "I'm so sorry, Tori. If you want to leave right now, I completely understand. I just didn't want to be lying to you," he said afterward, still crying. He thought it was over, and, for a split second, so did I.

But, I had thought it over so many times. This very situation had been played in my mind so many times, every time slightly different. After the five hundredth time, though, the end result was always the same. Over six months after Sirius had asked me the question, I knew exactly whether or not I could forgive him. I pulled Draco into a hug, and then kissed him softly on the lips. "You're going to have to do a lot worse to make me leave," I said firmly.

Draco went into complete and utter shock. "What? You. You're not?" he kept trying to find the words to end the sentence, but I stopped him with a kiss.

When I let him go, I promised him something. "I'm never leaving you, Draco. That's one thing you'll never have to worry about." I've kept to my promise, even when it was seemingly impossible.

"How do I deserve you?" he asked, tears of both joy and sadness covering his face.

"How do I deserve you?" I asked, laughing.

"You truly are amazing, Tori. You really need to know that," he said. I looked deep into those beautiful light blue eyes. Every single time I looked at those eyes, I felt at home. Even when the world turned to hell, all I had to do was look at Draco to feel like I was home. "What?" Draco asked, giving me that beautiful half smile I loved.

"I'm just really happy to be here. I didn't really realize how much I've missed you until now. Being without you for even a second feels like forever," I said, and not realizing exactly how sappy that was until Draco pointed it out.

"You know, Tori, you say you don't like sappy things. Then, you go right ahead and say one of the sappiest and most used lines in the history of love," he stated.

"I know. I feel so ashamed of myself. But, I was being completely honest when I said that. I'm not exaggerating at all. It's so hard to be without you," I admitted.

"I feel the exact same way about you. I wasn't saying that you were wrong in saying that, for me at least. I hate so much being without you," he said.

"Same here. That's why I couldn't even bear the thought of breaking up with you. It would kill me. Not literally, of course. But, I'd never be happy again," I explained.

"I'm sure you would find someone new."

I scoffed at that. "Yeah, really? Who the hell would be able to tolerate me? Nobody else even knows who I truly am," I said.

"Have you ever considered letting people besides me know who you are?" Then he realized it was a ridiculous question to ask. "No, you're Victoria. Of course you haven't," he said, laughing.

"Once I give a person a piece of my soul, it's theirs to keep. I am yours forever and always." God, I really needed to turn down the sappy a few bizillion levels. I was going to explode if I kept going like this.

He wasn't entirely sure what to say to that, so he did something I rather wished he didn't. "So you're actually somewhat okay with the whole death eater thing?" Draco asked, changing the subject to one I really hated.

"Oh no, I'm far from okay with it. But, I don't blame you. It's not your fault, from the way I see it. You're trying to protect the ones you love-you don't have much of a choice in the matter." I knew that this was fact. He wouldn't be Draco if he actually wanted to be a Death Eater.

Draco nodded through the whole thing, taking it in. "I underestimated you, Tori. I thought for sure you'd dump me," he said.

"Honestly," I admitted, "so did I." Draco's face became more intent with listening. "Every single time I had thought the situation through, I always imagined myself not being able to forgive you. When it really came down to it-when I was actually faced with the real thing-I realized that there is nothing you can do to make me leave."

"I guessed both of us underestimated you," Draco murmured.

"No, we underestimated just exactly how much I love you. I couldn't leave you, because you're the most important person in my life. I can't ever leave you. I realized that when I realized I wasn't going to break up with you."

"I'm so glad that you love me enough to stick with me even through this. I mean, what kind of person would do that? Nobody-nobody but you," he said. Tears were on his face, and I don't even think he realized it.

"Oh my god Draco, are you crying?" I asked him, wiping salty tears from his seemingly perfect face. I grabbed his hand-the right one. The Dark Mark kind of creeped me out a little. "Now, let's move onto a… less emotional subject. Show me around this giant castle you live in," I said and pulled him off the bed.

Draco got right into the mood I was trying to set. He half laughed as I dragged him out of his room. "Honestly, Tori, I think it's a really creepy place," he said.

"You grew up here. Don't tell me you didn't have some pleasant memories. There's got to be more to this place than 'Oh, Tori, it's just a really creepy place.'" I said, trying to draw more information out of him. He never talked much about his childhood before Hogwarts, partly because I didn't talk about mine. Basically all there was for me was sitting in a dark attic, listening to the radio, and sometimes stealing glances at a brilliant muggle television show.

"You want to hear about my childhood. You couldn't care less about this house-you think it's creepier than hell, too," he said. He knew me well, but not that well.

"That is not entirely true. I mean, I do want to hear about your childhood and I really do think that this house is creepier than hell, but I honestly want to be shown around," I said.

"Ok, but the tour's probably going to take like three hours. This place is giant. I can just talk about my childhood instead for that time," he offered. Yep, he was smart. He knew me well enough to offer something that he wouldn't mind doing that I would want.

"You know what? I don't need a tour of this house. I'll just make sure I stay by you so I don't get lost," I decided. With that, we went back into his bedroom.

He and I were sitting on the foot of his bed. I was thinking of a thousand questions to ask. What did I want to know about his childhood? Everything. "So, what do you want to know?" Draco asked me.

"Middle name," I said, after I realized that I didn't know his, or even if he had one. Gosh, you'd think that after five years of knowing him, I'd know his middle name. He knew mine, so why didn't I know his?

Draco seemed surprised that I had asked him that, probably because I should have known it already. "It's Alexander," he said. He put his hands in his hair and combed it back. Sexy… "I'm honestly surprised that you didn't know that. We've known each other five years. I haven't mentioned my middle name at all?" he asked, surprised.

"No, you haven't. Not even once." Then I realized something kind of interesting. "Your initials are kind of funny, actually. DAM, like DAM you're hot or DAM, you shut up!" I said, laughing a little at the end.

Draco rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "See, this is why I love you. You were able to turn a name that is, in my opinion, amazing, into something that's somewhat ridiculous," he said.

I shrugged "I am Victoria." Then, I thought of another question I wanted to ask. "Did you ever have any pets as a kid?" I asked him.

"No. My parents always hated dirt and the mere idea of having a pet disgusted them," he said, which was exactly what I expected. Draco's parents seemed to be those type of people who would deny a child a pet simply because they didn't like dirt.

"Did you have any childhood friends?" I asked him. I wanted to know if there was anyone in Draco's life that I should know about. This was actually the most important question I asked.

"No. My parents always kept me from other children. They didn't want me to make friends with anyone who wasn't completely pureblood. There weren't any people my age who were. I was isolated, for the most part. The few times I ever left the house, it was just so my parents could show me off to important people. I mean, I was given everything I could have wanted as a child-books, musical instruments, fancy things, etc. But the thing I really wanted most was the one thing that I was denied. It made me kind of bitter, I suppose," Draco explained.

That was honestly really sad. I felt bad for him, even with my crap childhood. Nobody I knew could even sympathize a little bit with me, and Draco truly could. So, whenever he said he was sorry, he truly meant it. He actually understood, at least a little bit. His parents took away his childhood, just like my aunt and uncle took away mine.

"Then, Victoria, I met you. Before we were even sorted into our houses, we started talking to each other. You and I were both so sick of some pompous brat getting so much attention when we were the ones who really deserved it," Draco said. I never really thought of our beginning like that. I got to see so much of my relationship with Draco in a new light. It was rather refreshing, I suppose.

"I never knew all that stuff about your childhood. I never knew that I wasn't the only one who didn't have a white picket fence and apple pie childhood. I thought for sure that you had so much, considering everything you have now," I explained. I realized how wrong I was. "Now I feel like such an idiot," I muttered and looked down at my feet.

Draco put his hand on my lower cheek and and lifted my face up gently. "I only never complained about myself because of you. Despite everything you've gone through, you aren't bitter or mean at all. Granted, you aren't the friendliest person in the world, but you didn't let your experiences break you. You've been so strong," he said and kissed my lips softly. "I love you so much, and I never wanted to keep anything from you. I just didn't think that anything I went through compared at all to you."

I shook my head. "Draco, it doesn't matter if my childhood was hell. You have every right to complain to me about how crappy your parents were to you. I don't care if it's nothing compared to my terrible experiences and blah blah. If you want to talk about something, talk about it. Everybody has the right to complain, no matter how unimportant it may seem," I said, completely sincere. Then, of course, there was one more thing I had to add. "Of course, don't complain to me if you get a stain on your favorite silk shirt or something like that. I couldn't care less."

Draco smiled, which is a sight I'm always yearning to see. "You really are something, aren't you?" he asked me. I just shrugged. "So, any more questions?" he asked after I didn't say anything for a little while.

"Yes. You said you got all the musical instruments you could want. What do you play?" I asked him.

"I had a feeling you'd ask that. Girls can't resist a guy who can play the piano and the violin. Of course, the guitar is usually what girls want more, but piano and violin is what you get," Draco said.

"You play the piano and the violin? That's really cool," I said. How did I not know this? It kind of frustrated me that I didn't know. Just because there wasn't much to say about my childhood didn't give Draco rights to hide every little important thing.

"I mostly play piano, just because I like the sound a lot better. But, yeah," he said.

"Play me something," I requested.

Draco shrugged and took my hand and led me to the giant piano room. There was a huge grand piano in the center of the room, and I could tell that this room had perfect acoustics. There was a little wooden stool next to the piano, which I sat on as Draco slid onto the bench in front of the piano. "What do you want me to play?" he asked.

I shrugged, "Surprise me." Draco nodded and got this thinking look for about two seconds, and then started playing the piano. He played a sweet little tune with his right hand and chords to compliment the song with his left. "I think I've heard this song before," I realized.

"You probably have. It's a muggle song-well the acoustic version anyway. It's called Find You. It's by Zedd and Matthew Koma and Miriam Bryant sing the lyrics," Draco said. That was one of my favorite songs.

"Can you sing?" I asked him.

"How about you sing? I'll play," he suggested.

"Have you ever heard me sing?" I asked him. He said no. "Neither have I. Let's give it a go," I said. Draco smiled and started playing the tune. I knew the lyrics by heart, and I knew when they came into the song. "Silent love is calling faith to shatter me through your hallways into echoes you can feel and rehearse the way you heal. Make them dance, jus," then I started laughing. God, I sucked at singing. "I think I prefer it when Matthew Koma sings it."

"You aren't bad, keep going," Draco said.

"No. You'd think I'd be better at singing than a muggle, but no," I said. A little prejudice, I'll admit. I loved being a witch. It was a great reality.

Draco looked really offended by my comment, which I found rather strange. "You're saying Matthew Koma _isn't_ a wizard?"

"Wait, he _is_?" I asked him.

"Of course not, not in the literal sense, anyway. He's a metaphorical wizard. As in, he's a wizard at singing and making music," Draco explained. Then he started playing again. "Sing," he commanded. I looked at him like-_seriously_. "You're comparing yourself to some of the greatest voices in music. Lower your expectations of yourself a little," he told me.

I knew that there was no arguing with him, but there was one thing. "It's a duet. You have to sing, too," I pointed out. Draco tried to argue but in the end he agreed. His voice was a bit better than mine, which Draco objected to. Still, it was fun. The song was amazing, and I got to sing it with my soul mate. What more could I ask for?

After we were done with the piano, which took over an hour, we went back to Draco's room. "So, what do you want to do?" Draco asked me. I looked around in his room, and saw a large shelf of books.

"Read to me," I said. I still had a difficult time reading (I only learned how to read five years ago, so don't judge me), but I loved books. I loved every story inside, which was probably why I loved television so much. I could see what the story was, but I didn't have to read.

Draco seemed slightly amused by my request, which I didn't blame him for. "Go pick out a book over there," he said, nodding to the bookshelf. I got up and looked at the bizillions of books that he had. There was everything there-from the Septimus Heap series to Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In the end, though, I chose a grey black paperback book with a golden mockingjay pin on the cover. "The Hunger Games? Wise choice," Draco said.

"Yeah, the muggles made a big movie out of it. I thought it must be worth reading," I reasoned.

Draco and I laid down on his bed, and he started reading. "'When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping…'"

I didn't let him stop reading, even when he complained about his voice getting tired and his lips getting chapped. I told him to put on some lip balm and drink a glass of water. I think, though, he really liked that I took such an interest in a book.

We spent almost the whole night reading, and we only stopped because I fell asleep. It wasn't that the book wasn't the one of the most amazing pieces of literature in the world, it was just that it was really late. I hadn't slept in almost a month, and by midnight, my eyes were working so much harder than they should have been in order to stay open. My eyelids gave up, and I fell into a deep sleep.


	35. Chapter 35

Wake me up with a kiss, I'll love that. Just not at seven AM if I didn't go to sleep until midnight. Don't wake me up, period, if those circumstances apply. "Draco, I'mm sleeeping," I complained.

"Don't you want to find out what happens to Katniss?" he asked me. I sat right up, and accidentally hit Draco's head. "Watch where you're going," he laughed, rubbing his head. Then he started reading.

When the book was finished, I wanted to cry. It was such a beautiful story, and I definitely shipped Everlark. Everthorn? Come on. "Please tell me there's more to the story. It can't be over yet," I begged.

"It's not over yet. There are two more books in the series," Draco reassured me. I got up to go get them. Draco stopped me before I did. "As much as I love that you're interested in this book series, how about I just let you borrow them? I would much rather spend time with you in another way," he said.

As much as I wanted to object to that, he was right. I sat down on the edge of the bed. "Okay. What do you want to do instead?" I asked.

"Let's start with breakfast. It's almost ten o'clock," Draco suggested.

"Oh, breakfast. Forgot about that," I said.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Of course, _you_ would forget about breakfast. Did you even eat anything when you were at the Dursleys' house?" he asked, concerned.

"You don't have to worry-I made sure I ate. Granted, I usually had to go a day or two without food in order to get my hands on something that I didn't have to kill," I said. It honestly wasn't that big of a deal to me then, because I'd gotten used to it.

Draco shook his head. My story clearly irritated him. "I hate that you always come back from summer and you're so thin. It's unhealthy, Victoria," he said.

"You know, most guys complain about their girlfriends being fat, not too thin, Draco," I said, a little bit irritated.

Draco ran his hands through his hair. "Victoria, I'm only concerned about your health. You can't keep starving yourself. I love you, and I just worry about you. I mean, I can practically see your ribs," he said.

Well, he did have a point. Seeing my ribs wasn't exactly a good sign. "Okay, I'll try to eat like a pig for the rest of the summer," I said.

"Good. Now let's get breakfast," Draco said. He swung his legs around and got off of the bed. He took my hand and led me through the never ending corridors and rooms. Finally, we were in this small dining room with a small but elegant table. One wall was completely made of glass and there was an incredible view of a beautiful lake.

When I saw the lake, I gasped. The water was crystal blue and there was a view of the mountains beyond. "You live on a lake?" I asked Draco.

"Well, the lake is part of the property," Draco said.

"You own a lake?" I asked him, not entirely believing it. Draco just shrugged. "Wow, I didn't think you were _that_ rich. It's a beautiful lake, by the way," I said.

"Thanks. We can go out in it in later, if you want," he suggested.

"Sounds fun," I said. Draco pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit in it. "Thanks," I said. The table was set so it was parallel to the view of the lake. A couple seconds after I was seated, Draco's house elf, Whimpy, came with a platter of fluffy pancakes and a bowl of fresh fruit. I was surprised that the little elf could carry that much, but then I realized both of the dishes were floating next to him.

I forgot how hard it was to eat a lot of food after eating virtually nothing for a long time. It's like trying to eat an entire grocery store when you're used to eating the amount you normally do. Draco kept trying to push food my way, and I tried really hard to eat it. Eventually, though, I was just like "Draco, I'm going to puke if I eat any more," I complained.

"You haven't even eaten two pancakes, Victoria. At least have some more fruit," he objected.

"Draco, you try eating the moon," I said. It took him a while to understand my metaphor, but he got it eventually. He rolled his eyes when he finally did figure it out. He urged me to eat more, but I seriously was going to puke if he pushed any more on me. "Let's go to the lake now," I suggested.

Draco and I got up. "Do you have a swimsuit?" he asked me. Well, obviously not. "It's fine. I bought one for you because I figured you wouldn't," he said. We went back to his room and he had an exploding TARDIS print bikini for me. My eyes widened at it-it was so beautiful. "I knew you would like it," he said, smiling.

I changed in the giant bathroom that Draco had in his room. I was kind of shocked by the bikini, though. Did people usually wear this little clothing to swim? I felt so exposed and strange. I'd never worn this little clothing before in front of anyone. I was going to put my hair up, but I felt like it would, at the very least, cover a little bit of the exposed areas.

I came out to Draco dressed in a pair of green board shorts. "You look great," Draco said with a great big smile.

I suddenly felt very self conscious, even though he'd already said that to me a thousand times before and nothing happened. "Do people usually dress like strippers to go swimming?" I asked him. It sort of came out.

Draco chuckled at my remark. "Yes, they do. This is what the modern world has come to. They have decided that swimming is about how much skin you can show off without being naked," he said with a smirk.

"You're lucky I didn't just slap you. I saw that look on your face," I said. Draco wasn't denying anything, and instead just shrugged. We went down to the lake, which took a long time. We had to go to the first floor, which took a long time. His house was ENORMOUS. I don't even think the Queen lived in a house as big as this.

There was a boathouse next to the lake, which I hadn't seen from the view. Draco said that it was specifically set up that way. The view from the dining room was supposed to be beautiful, and not wrecked by boathouses. I went inside the boathouse to find a nice collection of kayaks and sculling boats. There was a double kayak, several singles, and the same situation with the sculling boats. There never was a kayak or a sculling boat with more than two seats in it, though. I immediately knew why. Draco never had a family that went out on the lake together, so it was never more than two people. Two people in itself was a rarity.

"Want to go out in one?" Draco asked me. I nodded. "Sculling or kayak?" he asked me. I didn't know, so I just shrugged. "Sculling," Draco decided. We walked up to the double and he asked, "Can you help me?"

"Of course," I said. I got on one end of the boat and he got on the other (luckily he got the heavier end) he told me to bring it up to my shoulder, which I did, and I set it on my shoulder. It was heavy, I'll tell you that. We walked it out to the lake and onto a dock that stretched just a few feet away from the shore of the lake. Draco told me to slowly roll it down to my waist, and then set it in carefully. We worked in unison, and were able to get it in really quickly. Draco told me to hold the boat while he got oars.

I kept feeling like I was going to fall in when we were rowing. It made me feel really nervous, and Draco could see that. "Tori, if you fall in, it's not a big deal. It's just water and you can swim to the surface," he said, trying to reassure me. Instead, it just made me more nervous. Draco realized exactly why I was so nervous after I didn't say anything. "You can't swim," he realized.

I took a stroke, not answering. Not answering, though, was enough for Draco to know. "It's okay if you can't swim. A lot of people can't, and it would be virtually impossible for you to know," he kept trying to reassure me. I still didn't talk, and instead continued rowing slowly. Draco glanced behind him, and steered us out of the way of a boulder that was peaking out of the water. "If we fall in, I promise I'll save you. Just keep the straps on your shoes loose enough so you can get out quickly," he said.

That was something that actually did reassure me. "Promise?" I asked him, turning around.

Draco flashed me a smile. "Always," he said. He reached over and squeezed my hand gently. He always knew how to make me feel better, even if it took him a while to get there. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too. Forever and always," I said. I loved the word 'always.' It wasn't just a word. It was a promise, a commitment. Every time it was said, it held so much weight. But that was the beauty of it. A simple word could mean a commitment of love, a never ending desire for revenge, and so much more.

Draco and I were out on the lake for a long time, and we never did fall in (a couple times we were close, but Draco was able to get us balanced again) and I never had to face the fear I had of drowning. But, I could tell Draco could sense it, and I was honestly a little afraid of what he would do.

We forgot about lunch, but we had an enormous dinner. Draco, as usual, pushed food on me. I don't care if I can see my ribs. I'll regain the weight when I go back to hogwarts. I kept trying to get out of eating more food. When I was full, I was full. That didn't mean that I could eat another five pounds of meat. (Of course, I'm exaggerating a little bit)

I was exhausted from being out on the lake all day, so we didn't even do anything before we went to sleep. We hopped in bed, and the lights went out in my mind almost immediately. No food or sleep for almost a month wasn't exactly healthy. Thanks to Draco, though, my life was so much better.


	36. Disneyland and The Winchesters

That next morning when I woke up, I finally felt rested. I looked up at Draco, who was still asleep. I put my head back on his chest until a few minutes later when he started stirring. "Morning sweetheart," I said to him when I saw his eyes flutter open.

"Morning," he murmured, rubbing his eyes. "How long have you been awake?" he asked me.

"Five minutes maybe. It's almost eight," I said, gesturing towards the big round clock on his wall. Yes, I couldn't read until I was eleven but I could tell time since I was five.

"Perfect," Draco murmured. I moved my head off his chest and onto a pillow, so I could get a better look at him. "So, I have something planned for today. I really think you'll enjoy it," he said, perking up.

That sounded interesting. Tell me more, oh handsome knight. "Oh, I like the sound of that. What is it?" I asked him.

"Ever been to the States?" he asked. The United States, of course. I shook my head, because I obviously hadn't. School and here were the only places I had ever been. "There's this really cool theme park kind of thing in southern California. It's called Disneyland," Draco said.

I'd heard about it, once or twice. Dudley always begged his parents to go to it. Of course, the Dursleys weren't wealthy enough to fly that far just for a little theme park. They promised that they would take him to it 'next year.' Of course, it never happened. I was surprised that Dudley's fits weren't enough for them to find some way. I mean, if I could hear them, all the way up in the attic, then they were pretty damn bad. "So we're going there?" I asked Draco.

"No," he said. Ok, the information about it was interesting, at least. Draco smiled, and I knew he was joking. "What, you think I would bring it up just to bring it up?" he asked, grinning. I rolled my eyes, but I had to hide a smile that was peeking out. Draco squeezed my hand gently and then got up.

"When are we leaving?" I asked him, still not getting up.

Draco shrugged. "As soon as you get dressed and we get Whimpy to make us some breakfast," he said.

That was when I got up. I walked over to my small black backpack and reached in to grab something out of it. My arm went much deeper into a certain pocket than it should have, and Draco looked at me strangely. "I put an expanding charm on it before school ended," I explained. He nodded and I pulled out a long-sleeved black v neck t-shirt, a pair of black leggings, a black skirt, and a pair of black combat boots.

"You aren't going to wear that, are you?" Draco asked, disapprovingly. I rolled my eyes and asked what was wrong with what I was going to wear. "You wear that exact same thing to school every single day, and it's going to be blazing hot. Wear something a little less black and thermal," he said.

"I honestly don't have anything else, Draco. Besides, nobody wants to see the hideous scars covering, well, everywhere," I said bitterly. It was part of the reason why I only had the clothes I had. I got rid of everything that wasn't long-sleeved when I awoke from my coma.

"Screw everyone, then. Just because people might stare a little doesn't mean you should force yourself into heatstroke all day. I have something that you can wear today that doesn't involve as much black," Draco said and went into his walk-in closet before I could say anything.

He brought out a loose dark red tank top that was made out of a light, soft material, a pair of black short shorts, and a pair of all black lo-top converse (the plastic lining was black, and so were the laces, and obviously the canvas covering the majority of the shoe). He handed the outfit to me. "What, you have a whole wardrobe for me in there?" I asked him.

Draco looked a little embarrassed and looked down at the ground. "I just wanted to make sure you had something to wear if you ever came over here," he said, surprisingly shy. What was up with this? Draco Malfoy, being shy? A little out of character, I'd say.

"Thank you. That's really sweet," I said, giving him a little smile. I squeezed his hand gently, and then I went into the bathroom to change into the clothes I was given. I came out a couple minutes later, and Draco was all dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt and a pair of khaki shorts and green lo-top converse. "Hypocrite," I said, looking at his shirt.

"In my defense, scars are completely different than dark marks. Scars might get a couple stares, where as my dark mark can get me arrested. You don't want to see me in Askaban, do you?" he asked me.

I'd shoved the whole Dark Mark thing to the back of my mind, so talking about it wasn't something I particularly liked. "Okay. I see your point," I said, dismissing the subject. I then went over to my backpack and pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses and put them on. Draco looked kind of confused. "If we're going to be around muggles, they can't see my eyes. My eyes usually freak muggles," I explained.

"Your eyes are beautiful, though," he said, still confused.

"To you, maybe. Every time I look at Dudley, he flinches. Same with every other muggle I ever see," I said.

"Have you ever considered that the reason they flinch isn't because of your eyes, but because you intimidate people?" Draco suggested. Well, that was one explanation, but that wasn't it. I was convinced of that.

"People have told me that my eyes freak them out," I said.

"Well," he said, pulling off my sunglasses, "I think your eyes are beautiful." He kissed my forehead quickly. I held out my hand for him to give me the glasses back, and he did. I didn't put them on, though. I put them on my shirt, instead. I held out my hand for him to take, and we walked to the small dining room.

Breakfast was lovely, and Draco didn't push a ton of food on me, which was surprising. Of course, I didn't know that he would make me eat those sugary but delicious snacks at disneyland. "How are we going to get there?" I asked him.

"Floo powder. That town hall place has a fireplace that welcomes wizards," Draco explained. With that, we went over to one of Draco's fireplaces. "Make sure to speak very clearly. Say Disneyland California, very clearly. I cannot express how important that is," Draco said.

"Believe me, I know. Remember when Harry ended up in Knockturn Alley because he couldn't say Diagon Alley correctly?" I remembered that day very well.

"Yeah, he's lucky I ignored him. He thinks I didn't notice him, but I knew he was there. I wish it was you there, instead," Draco said.

"You got to see me a little later, and you got to talk to me, so I think it worked out pretty well," I said.

_ Five years ago, I went into Flourish and Blott's bookstore with the Weasleys and my twin brother. Harry was all dirty from ending up at Borgin and Burkes. The second we got into the bookstore, Gilderoy Lockhart grabbed Harry and took him up to take pictures. I, on the other hand, was pushed to the back. My first thought was that nothing ever changes. _

_ Luckily, being pushed to the back brought me to Draco. "Nobody ever pays attention to you. Everyone's so concerned about precious little Harry," he said. _

_ At first, I had no idea who it was. Draco was just a voice behind me thus far. I turned around and saw a blonde with a smirk on his face. I smiled when I saw him. "Hey, Draco," I said. _

_ "Great to see you, Tori," he said and gave me a hug. Nobody was watching, which was a good thing. Remember, it wasn't even second year yet. We were friends, in secret, and people would probably kill us if they find out. Well, that's what we thought, anyway. We weren't completely wrong. _

_ "So, how's life been since school ended?" I asked him. _

_ Draco shrugged. "The usual. Parents trying to buy my affection, me taking the bribes. Being left alone at home with a deranged house elf who only talks about wanting to be freed. I swear, sometimes I just want to give him a sock and be over with it. My parents would kill me, though," he explained, rolling his eyes. _

_ Of course, that house elf was the very one who visited me, and I knew then. I knew long before Harry did. I figured it out because Dobby talked about me when he visited. He said certain things that were almost verbatim to things that Draco said to me. Draco complimented me a lot, probably because he had a major crush on me. I didn't know that until a few years later. "So, what about you? How's life been?" he asked. _

_ "The usual. Very little to no food, being left alone in the attic, no sunlight, birthday alone, no presents," I said, shrugging. _

_ "Actually, I have something for you," he rooted around in his pocket and pulled out a ring. It was silver and there was some engraving on it. It read _Serpentes et Dracones, _and there was a little dragon on the side that said dracones and there was a little snake on the side that said serpentes. "Look at the inside band," Draco said. The inside said _Happy 12th Birthday, Tori-Draco_. I thought it was the sweetest thing ever. _

I fiddled with the ring on my middle finger. All my other fingers were too small to fit in it. I wore that ring every single day since then. I wore the earrings a lot, too, but the ring was the first wearable gift Draco gave me. "I do love this ring," I murmured.

"I had the biggest crush on you when I gave you that. Less than four months after we'd known each other, I was crushing on you hard," Draco said.

"I wish I could say the same thing about you. But, I honestly just considered you a friend, my best and only friend. I never even considered the fact that we could be more until just a few weeks before you asked me out. And, I dismissed it because I was scared it would ruin our friendship," I said.

"Of course, you were wrong about that. Truth be told, though, I was scared of that, too. You were, well, you still are, my only real friend. I was just willing to risk it all because I knew what could happen if things went well. And, here we are," he said. The last sentence was the exact thought that was going through my mind.

"I'm glad we took that chance," I said, and I hadn't meant anything more in my whole life before that. I mean, I just couldn't imagine life without the past being that I had been pestered into agreeing to go out with him. I couldn't imagine myself even thinking about any other guy. Draco is mine, and I am his. Anything else is just completely unthinkable. Before Draco could say anything, I put my sunglasses on and threw the powder into the fireplace, saying very clearly, "Disneyland California."

I ended up in the inside of that town hall building on Main Street. I was in a small, dark room lit up only by a small orange lamp. The lamp cast a dark shadow over the elegant furniture. It looked like the den of a hunter from the thirties. Was I in the right place?

Draco appeared next to me a few seconds later. "Don't worry, we're in the right place," he said. He walked over to a small table that had what looked like a sign in sheet. There were several signatures on the paper, the most recent being my late godfather. I almost started sobbing right there. The date next to his signature was just three days before his death. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned my head to see Draco with a sympathetic look on his face.

We signed our names and picked up one of these passes that was on the table. It gave us free access to any food we wanted, and a purchase of up to one hundred American dollars worth of merchandise.

It was strange, stepping out of the empty room into a huge crowd of people. Nobody even seemed to notice that the door was even there. People were just swarming the inside room, looking for assistance or whatever it was they were looking for.

We found the exit, and stepped out into main street. It was mobbed with people, at least a ten thousand, I'd say. I didn't even know that that many people could fit into such a small area. How was I not going to get lost in this? Draco grabbed my hand and promised "I'm not letting go." It was really reassuring for me, because I was really scared of getting separated from him. I'd never, ever been in such a huge crowd. I wasn't scared of large crowds or anything. Getting lost, on the other hand was terrifying.

Draco and I tried to squeeze out of the crowd, but it was nearly impossible. Finally, we found a little area near a gift stand that wasn't so crowded. "Where do you want to go first?" he asked me. I shrugged. "Matterhorn. According to this ticket thing, we don't have to wait in line for that, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain (apparently they have some obsession with mountains), Star Tours, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin," Draco said, listing off the tickets we had.

"Matterhorn sounds great. Let's go," I said and started pulling Draco in the direction of Fantasyland.

He held me back and said "First, I need to get you one of these," he said and picked up one of those ridiculous Mickey and Minnie Mouse ear hats. He got one each-one for me and one for him.

"No, Draco, please don't. Those things are so cheesy and touristy and just terrible. I'll look stupider than hell wearing one," I protested as he walked up to the counter.

Draco just ignored me. "Can you stitch our names on these?" Draco asked the clerk. The clerk said he could, but that it would cost an extra ten dollars. Draco said it was no problem. The clerk then asked for the names. "Tori on the Minnie one. Spelled T-O-R-I. Draco on the other one, spelled D-R-A-C-O," he said, very carefully pronouncing the letters. Many Americans, I realized by the end of the day, were idiots. Also, they had a strange reaction to British accents. Some obsessed over them, where as others were completely dumbfounded by them.

Draco wouldn't move until I put on the stupid hat. I wasn't going to give in. Finally, I realized how badly I wanted to get on the ride and gave in. First, though, I had to take my hair out of the ponytail it was in and put it in a side braid. That took about a minute. Then, I put it on, unhappily, of course. "Babe, you'll thank me soon enough. We are trying to have a normal muggle experiences," Draco said when we started walking towards the Matterhorn.

We went on the Matterhorn, which was really fun. Draco claimed that it was nothing compared to the thrill of riding a broom, but it was enough for me. I was not expecting that big abominable snowman to scare me. Of course, Draco claimed it would be so much better at night.

Then, Draco made us go on the stupidest ride in history. It was also the longest wait in history, as well. And, guess what? We didn't have a pass to the front of the line for that one, either. The music that they played during the line was I think the muggle's version of the Cruciatus Curse. You know what ride I am talking about, don't you. Because, of course it is a small world.

"Will this line ever end? I mean, seriously, this is worse than the cruciatus curse," I complained while we were in line. We'd been there for over two hours already, and I was surprised that I didn't rip my own head off before then. I DON'T GIVE A CRAP I GET IT'S A SMALL WORLD.

"I wouldn't know, but if you say so. Still, we need this muggle experience. Waiting in line for three hours for a ride that drives you just a little past insane," Draco said, and he honestly didn't seem annoyed at all.

"That's the understatement of the century, Draco. I was 'a little past insane' an hour ago. If this line doesn't end soon, I'll go all Avada Kedavra on my ass," I said. Of course, Draco took the last part seriously, and looked really worried about my safety. "I didn't mean literally, Draco. I'm not actually going to kill myself," I said, slightly annoyed. Then, I grumbled, "But I might kill those damn mechanic singing things."

"Mommy! I'm tired! When is the line going to end?" I heard a little boy's voice say behind me. I don't know why exactly I heard that. I mean, there were hundreds of complaining little boys around me, and that particular little boy had been talking and complaining right behind me for over two hours.

I turned around, out of sheer boredom and curiosity, to find a little ginger headed American boy with bright green eyes. "You know, I think that they are trying to get us excited for the ride, which is why they won't let us go on yet," I said to the little boy.

The young mother (late twenties, I'd say) of the little boy, who was also ginger, except had eyes that were more blue than green, wasn't completely freaked out that a stranger just talked to her son. Instead, she was enthralled by my British accent. "I love your accent," she said.

"Thanks," I said. I wasn't particularly interested in more conversation with this woman, but I wasn't about to be rude.

"I'm Maya Winchester," she said, sticking out her hand for me to shake, which I did.

"Victoria," I said. I brought Draco over, and said "This is Draco," I said, introducing the two. He shook her hand.

Maya brought over the most gorgeous man in the world. Seriously, he had the face of an ANGEL. He had brown hair and the same eyes as their son. "I'm Dean," the walking version of sex said.

If I didn't have Draco next to me, I probably would have started making out with that man, because, god, he was gorgeous. His lips were so perfect, and he had just enough torture behind those eyes to make him even sexier. I wondered why he was so tortured. Maybe he served in the army or something. "Victoria," I said again. Luckily, I just happened to be excellent at hiding my true feelings.

"This is Sean," Maya said, picking up her son. I just nodded. I wasn't too eager to keep talking. "So, where are you guys from?" she asked.

Based on our accents, I thought she would know. "We went to school at USC for the past few years, and now we live in downtown San Diego," Draco explained.

"Is that where you guys met? In college?" Maya asked.

"Oh, goodness no. We went to the same boarding school for seven years before that. We've been best friends since we were kids," Draco explained. I was planning on another cover story, but oh well.

"That's really sweet. When did you guys start going out? Forgive me if I'm wrong, you guys just act that way that people in love do," Maya asked us. Dean wasn't the particularly talkative type, or maybe Maya was just the exceedingly talkative type.

"About two and a half years ago," Draco said. Well, we weren't going to change how long that was going on. "But," Draco added, "I've had a crush on her since forever." I rolled my eyes.

The line was moving, and we were almost there. All I could think was _finally!_ I could tell the little boy thought the same thing. He didn't like the long line any more than I did. We were seated in the same boat as the Winchesters.

I'll admit, it was a little cool, with all the different languages, but those puppets creeped me out. Everything was just so happy, and it drove me crazy. No way in hell am I against happiness, or anything. I love being happy, just like any normal person. But, after a while, it starts to drive you completely insane. Things just aren't that happy. A little darkness is okay if it keeps away the blinding light.

"I swear, Draco. Anymore happiness to that degree, and I'll puke," I said.

Draco laughed. "That music, or whatever the hell that awful noise is, is stuck inside my head," he complained.

The same thing was for me. I GET IT! IT IS A FUCKING SMALL WORLD STOP ANNOYING THE CRAP OUT OF ME. Sorry, I get annoyed. You would understand if you ever had to wait in line that long for the most annoying ride in the world. I'm sure that many of you have. No matter how much you protested, your stupid parents (or in my case my boyfriend) still made you wait in that never ending line.

Maya came up to us after the ride. "Hey, I know this is going to sound really weird, but do you guys want to come with us to lunch?" she asked us.

Honestly, that was the last thing I wanted. Having lunch with three complete strangers, even if one was the hottest man in existence, wasn't my ideal situation. Draco, on the other hand, seemed to think it was a great idea. "We'd love to, if we aren't intruding on anything," he said. Polite was not a word I usually used to describe Draco. Considerate about me, yes. Polite, no.

"It's no trouble at all," Maya said cheerfully. I could see Dean, who wasn't nearly as happy about this as his wife. He was kind of just standing there, taking care of Sean.

"Where should we eat?" Draco asked.

"The Blue Bayou. It's the best restaurant here. Kind of expensive, but who cares? Good food is good food," Maya said.

"Great," Draco said and we started walking toward the restaurant, which was pretty far away from the most annoying ride in the world. I just looked at Draco on our way, silently telling him that I thought it was a terrible idea. I could see Dean giving Maya the same look, which grabbed my interest. What did Dean Winchester have to hide? Or was Maya the one who had something to hide, and Dean was just trying to keep that secret? Or maybe Sean had a secret… I knew that look, and the only reason why anyone would be giving someone else that look was because they were trying to protect a secret.

We got to the restaurant and had to wait ten minutes before we were sat at a table. The restaurant was exceedingly dark, and I felt really ridiculous wearing dark sunglasses, and it was a little bit difficult for me to see. Still, I did not take them off. When we sat down, Maya asked, "Why don't you take off your sunglasses?" When I didn't respond, she made one of the stupidest assumptions ever. "Wait, are you blind?" she asked me.

"Maya, you can't just ask people if they're blind," Dean grumbled. I silently agreed with him on that one. I mean, seriously, it was just rude.

"I'm not blind. Just don't make me take off my sunglasses. I have my reasons," I said. Draco and I were on one side of the table, the Winchesters were on the other. Sean was sandwiched between his parents, Dean on the side that was directly across from me, and Maya on the side across from Draco.

Maya and Draco started talking their heads off, conversing about the stupidest little things, while Sean was drawing on his pirate paper placemat. Dean and I just kind of sat there, not really doing anything. Neither of us were much of the talkative type. But, finally, for Dean at least, the silence became uncomfortable. "So, do you like pie?" he asked me.

I'll admit, that question surprised me. I wasn't really prepared to answer that question, so I shrugged. "Pie's good, I guess," I said.

"Pie is life," Dean said firmly. Not something I really expected from someone as gorgeous and masculine as Dean, but I guess everyone had their quirks. Dean just happened to be obsessed with pie.

"Okay. Um, what is your favorite type of pie?" I asked him.

"I cannot answer that question," he said, and he was dead serious. Then, he smiled, "Too many choices." He wasn't as normal as I thought he was, which I appreciated. I returned the smile. "So, why haven't you taken your sunglasses off? It's really dark in here, so there's got to be a pretty good reason why you still have them on," he said.

I debated between lying and telling the truth. The only reason I settled on the truth was because I couldn't come up with a lie at the time. "My eyes usually freak people out. Also, I have a few scars around that area from when I got all of these ones," I said, gesturing to the scars on my arms.

"What happened?" Dean was genuinely concerned, and I didn't know what to think about that. People usually faked concern for me, even my own brother. I mean, everyone felt bad for me and all, but they never really were truly concerned. It was the hype to feel bad, so it wasn't real. For Dean, it was different.

This is where I had to draw the line. It's not like I could tell the truth, unless I used a metaphor. Instead, though, I decided to go all quiet and not respond. Thinking about that hurt. Every time it was mentioned, I went back to that graveyard. "If you don't want to tell me, I understand. But just know that I truly am concerned. So many people fake being concerned, because it's the hype or whatever. I say-if you aren't really concerned, don't act like you are," he said.

I don't know why I started spilling my guts. I had every opportunity to stay away from the conversation. "I was attacked by a dog," I said. Dean nodded, but I could tell he was looking for a longer story. "It was just over a year ago, and I was just walking down the street when bam, the dog charged right at me and mauled me. I remember seeing Draco running over to me, crying and yelling out to someone, anyone, to help me. Then, I passed out and I was in a coma for over three months. The first face I saw when I woke up was Draco's," I explained.

"Where was he when you were getting attacked?" Dean asked. I didn't like the accusatory tone he had, so I quickly made it clear that it wasn't Draco's fault.

"We were going to a basketball game, and I needed to go back up to my room to get something. I insisted that Draco get us seats, and he noticed when I was gone longer than I should have been. It was a freak accident, and Draco has no blame on what happened," I explained, making it very clear that it was not Draco's fault.

"Does he blame himself?" Dean asked.

"A lot of the time, yes. He thinks that if he had insisted to come with me, things would have ended differently. Personally, I think the damage would have been worse," I said.

"Probably, yes. The dog could have easily done as much damage to Draco as it did to you. If he hadn't found you, you would be dead. If nobody had found either of you, you both would be dead. It's as simple as that. But, I think he wishes he could have traded places with you," Dean said.

I never really thought of it that way. I never would want anyone to trade places with me, except for maybe Ol' Voldy. I could never wish that immense pain on anyone, especially not my precious Draco. "I would experience that pain ten thousand times before I'd let him trade places with me," I said.

"Well, that's love, Victoria. Sacrifice, or at least the willingness to, is a huge part of love. I would do anything for Maya, even if she does drive me crazy a lot of the time. Same thing with my brother, Sam. I can't even count how many times I've had to bend the world to clean up his messes," Dean explained.

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that much for my brother. I don't have the best relationship with my twin. He's always treated me like I don't matter, so I found family in Draco," I said.

I talked to Dean during the rest of the lunch, mainly about family and how sacrifice was really important. He was really really wise for someone that pretty. I'll admit, I was surprised. I ended up telling him Harry's first name, and I never gave away my last name. He never asked to see my eyes, and I never offered.

The lunch was over really quickly, and I thought I'd never see them again. I mean, what were the chances that I would? Zip to none.

"I liked Dean, he was a nice guy," I said to Draco when we walking to the front of the line for Pirates of the Caribbean.

"You just thought he was hot," Draco said. Well, he was hot, but I really meant it. "It's fine, you're allowed to think guys are hot. After the whole Fleur Delacour episode, I think you have the right," he said.

"But he really was a nice guy. He had an interesting insight on things," I said. We went on all the rides that we could have possibly wanted to, and then headed back to Draco's place at the end of the day. All was well.


	37. Who were they, Dean?

Maya kept asking me questions about Victoria. I didn't see why every little detail was so important. She normally wasn't this way, trying to figure out who the strangers she met were. I mean, it's not like they were serial killers or anything. If they were, they could have killed us right there. They were just two normal people who led normal lives. I mean, that whole thing with Victoria and her sunglasses was a little weird, but everyone was allowed to have their quirks, I suppose. For example, I think I might have freaked Victoria out a little with the whole obsession with pie. But I still stand by the fact that life is pie.

"Draco just talked about unimportant things, like sports and stuff. You and Victoria looked like you had a really deep conversation. What did she say?" Maya kept pestering.

"Why is it so important?" I asked her.

"Don't you want to figure out who they were? They didn't even give us their last names, Dean. They barely talked about themselves," Maya said.

"Maybe they didn't want a couple psychos like us to track them down. Ever think of that?" I asked her.

"No, it was like they were hiding something big. I'm not going to put this to rest until you give me the details," Maya said.

I sighed, figuring that the only way to get her to shut up about this was to give her the details. "Okay, she was attacked by a dog last year and was in a coma for three months. That's why she has all those scars. She claims that her eyes freak people out, which is why she wouldn't take off her sunglasses. She has a rocky relationship with her twin brother, whose name is Harry." I would have said more, but Maya realized something.

"Dean, you know which famous british Harry has a twin sister named Victoria? Harry Potter." I rolled my eyes, because I couldn't just believe that. Just because they were British did not mean that they were wizards. "No, Dean, it all fits. She wasn't attacked by a dog last year, Voldemort tortured her and nearly killed her. Draco Malfoy! That's who the guy was. There was this big article in Witch Weekly about them, and how they were star crossed lovers and etc. We just had lunch with Draco Malfoy and Victoria Potter." Maya was really excited about this, which was really strange.

"Aren't Draco Malfoy and Victoria Potter like sixteen? Those guys were at least 23," I said. They were far too mature to be 16.

"We just assumed that, because we expected that. Also, where they are, they have to grow up too fast," Maya explained.

I still wasn't completely convinced, but I couldn't ignore the facts. They did fit the description perfectly. What were the odds that we would meet them in line to It's a freaking Small World? Zip to none. But I have to say, I was really impressed with Victoria. She wasn't bitter about anything, despite what she's been through. Instead, she just acted like every day was a gift. There was something amazing in that.


End file.
